#Mobile Gun System

[thecountofs]

[saltypeanutnerd]

Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation, Prévisions de la Taille du Marché Mondial, Classement et Part de Marché des 10 Premières Entreprises

Selon le nouveau rapport d'étude de marché “Rapport sur le marché mondial de Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation 2024-2030”, publié par QYResearch, la taille du marché mondial de Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation devrait atteindre 1022 millions de dollars d'ici 2030, à un TCAC de 5,9% au cours de la période de prévision.

Figure 1. Taille du marché mondial de Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation (en millions de dollars américains), 2019-2030

Selon QYResearch, les principaux fabricants mondiaux de Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation comprennent Lindsay Corporation, Bauer, etc. En 2023, les trois premiers acteurs mondiaux détenaient une part d'environ 39,0% en termes de chiffre d'affaires.

Figure 2. Classement et part de marché des 10 premiers acteurs mondiaux de Système de pistolet mobile d'irrigation (Le classement est basé sur le chiffre d'affaires de 2023, continuellement mis à jour)

À propos de QYResearch

QYResearch a été fondée en 2007 en Californie aux États-Unis. C'est une société de conseil et d'étude de marché de premier plan à l'échelle mondiale. Avec plus de 17 ans d'expérience et une équipe de recherche professionnelle dans différentes villes du monde, QYResearch se concentre sur le conseil en gestion, les services de base de données et de séminaires, le conseil en IPO, la recherche de la chaîne industrielle et la recherche personnalisée. Nous société a pour objectif d’aider nos clients à réussir en leur fournissant un modèle de revenus non linéaire. Nous sommes mondialement reconnus pour notre vaste portefeuille de services, notre bonne citoyenneté d'entreprise et notre fort engagement envers la durabilité. Jusqu'à présent, nous avons coopéré avec plus de 60 000 clients sur les cinq continents. Coopérons et bâtissons ensemble un avenir prometteur et meilleur.

QYResearch est une société de conseil de grande envergure de renommée mondiale. Elle couvre divers segments de marché de la chaîne industrielle de haute technologie, notamment la chaîne industrielle des semi-conducteurs (équipements et pièces de semi-conducteurs, matériaux semi-conducteurs, circuits intégrés, fonderie, emballage et test, dispositifs discrets, capteurs, dispositifs optoélectroniques), la chaîne industrielle photovoltaïque (équipements, cellules, modules, supports de matériaux auxiliaires, onduleurs, terminaux de centrales électriques), la chaîne industrielle des véhicules électriques à énergie nouvelle (batteries et matériaux, pièces automobiles, batteries, moteurs, commande électronique, semi-conducteurs automobiles, etc.), la chaîne industrielle des communications (équipements de système de communication, équipements terminaux, composants électroniques, frontaux RF, modules optiques, 4G/5G/6G, large bande, IoT, économie numérique, IA), la chaîne industrielle des matériaux avancés (matériaux métalliques, polymères, céramiques, nano matériaux, etc.), la chaîne industrielle de fabrication de machines (machines-outils CNC, machines de construction, machines électriques, automatisation 3C, robots industriels, lasers, contrôle industriel, drones), l'alimentation, les boissons et les produits pharmaceutiques, l'équipement médical, l'agriculture, etc.

[cisthoughtcrime]

a 62yo man in a very small, very wealthy suburban city near Seattle, WA has been caught possessing, producing, and selling CSAM. Homeland Security Investigations and members of the Major Crimes Task Force have linked it to a larger international child sex trafficking ring. the man had business cards with sample photos of young (est. 6-10yo) girls alongside his name, number, and "project manager" on them. he also had guns and hundreds of thousands in US and foreign currencies. they found his "staging room" and photos and videos indicating the room had been used for this purpose and for live mobile casting. his houses (because he had two in this neighbourhood, where each house is typically at least $5mil but many are closer to $20mil) were five minutes from each other and just under a mile from the local elementary school. he's currently in custody.

the thing is, he had already been caught before. TWICE.

he had already been arrested (2012) and convicted (2013) for possession of CSAM in California. then, in 2014 a random check by the Canadian border police found more than a thousand images of minors engaged in sex acts on his phone. the arrest report from the border agents claims he reponded to being told he was being taken into custody by saying "that's not child porn, it's just happy pictures." before this most recent arrest in December 2024, he had only been in community custody instead of being in prison.

this story hasn't really broken yet, but I would expect (or at least hope) to see more about it in the news as more of the investigation starts to become available to the public. for now, all we have are the police reports from the arresting this guy and executing the warrants on his properties, as well as a few other relevant records. a local independent reporter and a neighbourhood newsletter have summarised what we know so far and included these documents. neither of these links includes any graphic material, but the reports themselves describe a few clips of what the officers witnessed (when they arrived to arrest him, they saw him through a window actively watching CP on a laptop).

my question is how the fuck was he still freely allowed to move between states, live so close to an elementary school, change his name, exit and enter the country, avoid incarceration, and have such light sentencing with such little supervision that he could operate and profit from a massive international CSAM business fuelled by material he himself produced, entirely uninhibited while in "community custody"??? he was able to have children in his houses after two arrests for CSAM in two states and two convictions (the first was a misdemeanor, the second a felony).

when can we start also holding judges accountable for endangering minors by letting repeat-offender pedophiles go free? seriously, how many more kids suffered because this convicted waste of carbon got an extra decade of unhindered opportunity? I want the victims' families to sue, I want this case to set a legal precedent requiring harsher sentencing, I want a justice system that isn't just a snooze button for holding rich perverted men mildly accountable. at the very least, I want major news sources to pick this up and present it as the big deal it is.

[collapsedsquid]

The way J6 failed is also instructive, and helps us understand the reason far-rightist streetfighters declined in relevance as of January 7. Yes, many people brought guns to the Capitol. Yes, many hoped their victory would result in the invocation of the Insurrection Act or some other signal to begin massive retribution against traitors and subversives. But nobody shot at the cops, and exactly one person was willing to stare into a cop’s loaded handgun and step forward. The kitted-up tactical team that emerged from a stairwell in the wake of Ashli Babbit’s death encountered a crowd shocked and demoralized, not energized, by the presence of death and the blood of martyrs. The J6 insurrectionists largely returned to their hotel rooms - some full of firearms - and then their homes, to be later arrested by the FBI. There was no need to shoot or shell holdouts at the legislature, no attempts by sympathetic actors to seize control of other government or media institutions, no militia revolts in the countryside, no effort to sustain or capture the momentum. The J6 prosecutions knocked these organizations back to actions of primarily local relevance as the far-right almost immediately began making gains on more favorable institutional terrains, efforts to mobilize on a national scale, and in DC especially, elicited paranoid theories of false flags and FBI machinations. Neither did hardcore subsets of these groups successfully build violent underground organizations - there were no cagoulards carrying on the leagues’ struggles against the victorious left wing government. Street-fighters became liabilities to classic fascist movements because they became too powerful, and arguably, too fascist. The fascist squads became their own bases of power within the classic fascist movements, capable of threatening party officials and even the leadership cult. There is no Trumpian equivalent to the Pact of Pacification or Stennes Revolt because streetfighters wielded no similar political power within the Trump coalition and advanced no coherent agenda with which to discipline Trump. Nor did the public square - largely demobilized after January 6 - offer much of an opportunity for streetfighters to demonstrate their relevance to the Trump coalition outside of localized demonstrations and confrontations. While the Proud Boys (more so than the Oath Keepers) may have sought to build a kind of neofascist élan, with their vague gestures towards uniform, hazing rituals, and the relative centrality of physical force confrontation to their identity, these efforts largely failed. Contrast with the streetfighters of the interwar era: the old fascist squads, especially the most militant ones, were useful organizational cages for younger members whose belief in force, revolution, and disillusionment with the system left them uninterested in conventional politics and who in many cases saw more to admire, or at least imitate, in revolutionary Communist structures than bourgeois right-wing parties. While the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers certainly attracted a cast of characters ill-suited for conventional politics, they were (and are) more likely to be relatively older men with families, truck payments, and decent jobs; the kind of people you would expect to react to a defeat in the streets and government repression by spending more time harassing people at school board meetings, rather than uncompromising radicals willing to give their lives for a doomed cause (and let alone radicals willing to find a new cause if the old one proves too inclined to compromise).

[cripplecharacters]

Sorry if this has already been asked before but as a general statement do you feel like the trope of having mobility aids doubling up as weapons in a fantasy story is ok? I’m disabled myself so I have a lot of disabled characters in my story so there’s a wide variety of mobility aids. Since a lot of characters fight in the story because of the genre I was thinking of making mobility aids weapons (cane as a magic staff or like prosthetics with built in powers etc) but I’m not sure if it falls into the category of ‘character is disabled but it’s actually their superpower!!!’ because I want to avoid that trope at all costs. Hope this makes sense to you since communication isn’t a strong point of mine. Love your blog btw:)

Hello! I'm glad you enjoy the blog.

I really feel like it depends. It can be done well and respectfully, but in my experience it usually isn't.

If you're a mobility aid user writing about the aids that you're using, you can do whatever you want. For my deeper thoughts that are too long:

The main issue that I have with the "magic aids as weapons" is that often it feels like the author doesn't actually like the aid because it's "too boring" and thus wants to "improve" it by making a cane into a wizard staff that shoots fireballs or whatever. But I don't feel like that's a good way to go about it at all. Mobility aids are cool in itself. They allow use to be more mobile. Why do they need to be made into something else?

The something else part is also what bothers me a lot around magic aids, aids as weapons, all that. Like the old "replacing a wheelchair with an animal" thing. Why not have a wheelchair? Why not a walking cane instead of a staff? It sometimes feels like the author tries to distance whatever they're writing about from disabled people and our actual experiences because they're "too boring to fit their fantasy story". It could be done effectively, but it usually really isn't.

To finally get to the combat part of the question, it again depends (...sorry). If the character with a cane has to fight using it, then I do find it weird, I guess. "Doing cool explosive stuff" shouldn't be a requirement for a disabled character to be included, especially because a lot of disabled people can't do the things that writers want them to do. Sometimes we are weak and unsteady and fragile. Fighting isn't for everyone, and I feel like that's where some of the annoying fantasy tropes appear.

"Hm, my blind character can't fight because they're blind.. oh they have a superpower that lets them 'see'! solved!"

"Hmm, I don't know how to include a wheelchair user… I'll give them a Magic Mecha Exoskeleton that lets them 'walk'! solved!"

"Hm, real life prosthetics seem inconvenient. I'll just make them Magical so they're just like meat limbs but with a gun! solved!"

...and all these kinds of "solutions" that make one wonder if the author even wants to have a disabled character. It's not even that the disability is a superpower, it's more that it's non-existent. Sometimes the better solution is to have us in other roles and not make us do things that our disabilities prevent us from doing, which fighting can fall under.

If the above isn't what's going on, then I think it comes down to how the whole thing is even supposed to work. Are the in-universe rules for magic centered around the idea that the Body makes magic? In this case, it could be interesting to have a character who uses a mobility aid and considers it a part of their body to be able to use it in a magical way. Because a lot of people do consider their cane or wheelchair an extension of them, so it could be actually interesting to see it validated by the magic system. But if it's like, "anything could be used" and then every character with a mobility aid ends up using their aid for that, that's... somewhat weird. It does feel like reducing the character to their disability if abled character 1 has a spell book, abled character 2 has a magic necklace, but the disabled character has their disability aid as their magic weapon. To use the example that you did, if the character's prosthetic is the only way they can use magic, I do think that's weird, because well. Why… it's both reductive and "disability as a superpower". But if they can use magic through, let's say, both of their legs, and one of them happens to be a prosthetic, then I think that's cool.

I also believe that it depends on what kind of weapon you are talking about at the end of the day - in real life, mobility aids are already treated as potential weapons. I'm under the impression that no one would assume that a walking cane could cast a spell, but people do very much think of a cane as a potential tool to fight with, of a prosthetic as a potential bomb, of a wheelchair as a potential way to smuggle something illegal. I have very much seen and heard of situations where a disabled person wasn't allowed to enter somewhere because their aid was seen as a threat - you don't want to make more people think that this is a reasonable conclusion to come to. If you want to go for it without doing any kind of retrospect on that, I would keep it as a fantasy thing.

I hope this helps. Apologies for the answer length.

mod Sasza

[silvercoloredskiess]

Brother In-Ho/Front Man x Sister squid game guard reader (Platonic)

Requested by this lovely person: @maryberry2711

Synopsis: You reluctantly became a guard for the squid games, but are completely unaware your brother is the front man.

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Squid game so there is shooting. And death. Mention of sibling estrangement. Some mild cursing. Sad ending. Let me know if I forgot any!

Word count: 1,239

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been countless years since your brother In-Ho and you have been estranged. It's very complicated as to why, but you mainly decided to cut ties with him because of his very unusual behavior. You saw him way less often than you used to. It's almost as if something changed him. Every time you two were in the same room it was like the atmosphere changed instantly.

Which is why you decided to stop texting him, or having plans together. No more birthday celebrations or weekly calls you two used to do often. And in return, he stopped doing anything either. You realized your efforts to do anything with him were never reciprocated, so why keep trying?

Some days ago, you received a business card from a weird person who approached you as you were resting by the sidewalk. It was for a job, and after reading the description, you spent an entire night in your car deciding whether you should pursue this unknown job. You ultimately decided to go to where this job was.

And that's how you became a guard for the squid game, as the front man called them as he was telling every other unknown person dressed in the hot pink costume and the mask covering their face. You had a triangle mask, which meant you had to kill any player who fails a game. Your eyes widened as you were given the weapon.

It was evident almost all these guards had seen enough things to not care about the dangerous things they were about to do, so you were in the minority. The mysterious recruiter must have thought you were going through something tough, which was partially correct; you had to live in your vehicle due to being evicted recently.

You were all sent to your rooms, and nobody was allowed to talk with one another. Not like it mattered anyway since everyone had to stay in their room. Taking off the uniform, you immediately tried to go to sleep, but the sight of the gun and uniform hanging on the wall across your bed was already haunting.

The next morning, everyone was instructed to wake up very early to prepare for the new players. The square guards mobilized to the lobby to tell the players why they were there, explaining the rules of the game and the grand prize money. You were fixing up your uniform in the mirror; looking at yourself once again, before moving to the area the Officer wanted the triangle guards to be in; the compact rooms behind the walls of the first game room.

Some hours later all the players entered the room to play red light green light. Your instructions were to shoot any players detected by the system as moving during the red light. You took a big sigh and tears rolled down your face. You didn't want to do this anymore. Was the money really worth it?

When the robotic girl doll at the finish line turned around shouting "red light!", some players did stand still but trembled immensely. They were caught by the robot's sensors and the guards were ordered to shoot them. But you refused to pull the trigger on one very shaky player. The other guards thought you were going to get to them, so they ignored it.

This went on for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, for the Six-Legged Pentathlon, you had to shoot the losers of the game because you were being watched by the other guards. The other guards were overjoyed since you didn't shoot the players too much. They needed the bodies for selling their organs. You weren't aware of this operation though.

In the game of Mingle, you were assigned to shoot any room full of players if the number of players didn't match the number announced. The good news was, you got away with ignoring those rooms, looking inside the rooms to make it look like you were going to do something. However, the square guards monitoring the games had a suspicious feeling about you.

You went straight to your room after the game ended, hiding under the covers of your bed. There were a few sudden knocks on your door, but you ignored them in fear you would be punished. That night would be the supposed Lights-Out game, which didn't need to be moderated by the guards unless necessary. So you just slept.

For an hour at least..

Apparently there was a rebellion, started by player 456. All guards were ordered to report to this immediately, and so you rushed out of bed and put your uniform on, heading down with the other guards. Opening the big lobby doors, you and the guards quickly discovered the players were armed, so the guards in front shot at the players as you quivered in the back.

Lots of gunshots between the players and guards could be heard. You loaded your gun in case a player tried to shoot you as well. If only these players knew you were the reason half of them were alive at the moment... sigh.

You got way too scared and tried to make a retreat when every guard was shot by the players. But the doors closed on you, making you a shaking whimpering mess. Player 456 and 001 walked up to you, holding you at gunpoint. You took the mask off at their command and agreed to take them to the control room.

The other players who could shoot fought back against the other guards that were mobilized to the other room. 456 and 001 ran with you to the entrance of the control room, giving them the mask you were wearing to see if they could sneak in. The men thanked you as they ran into the control area.

(This is also the period of time where Young-il disappears and wears the Front Man outfit.)

Suddenly, you felt a huge pain in your head, and dropped to the floor with unconsciousness. You were shot. When the Front Man noticed all this activity and ordered the Officer to take your body away, you were brought to the crematorium.

"Pathetic..." The Front Man said, looking at your unconscious body. But, the realization came into his head. He realized you looked very familiar. Were you.... his sister!?

The Officer looked at him in confusion. But the front man was already having a breakdown.

"F*CK... (Y/n)? Is that you!? Answer me! Please!"

He shook your body. Since you were shot in the head, and looked very unconscious, it might've already been too late. He took his mask off, revealing himself to be Hwang In-Ho.

"God damn it! Is my sister really dead!? No... no!"

He felt your cold face and started to cry. But he wanted to take revenge. He ordered the Officer to pull up the camera footage, since there was still one camera left. The officer identified the guard, and immediately shot him as according to In-Ho's wishes. It was surprising that guard was still alive..

Unfortunately, you would never get to know the truth behind why your brother was distant toward you. But he regretted it deeply. He didn't even care about the rebellion anymore. If only he had spent more time with you when you tried to see him. What a foolish man he was.

As desensitized to death as he was, he will never let you go.

[meg-jmeg]

🕷MOBILE TANK ARACHNIDA-04🕷

[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY]

The mobile tank division's prototype series, the Arachnida-04, is known for its all-terrain maneuverability and combat versatility. Its spider-like design, which features a spherical core body and four joints on each leg, is based on the famous Masamune frame. They are capable of scaling walls and ceilings and are outfitted with several sensors and cameras that allow them to scan their surroundings from all angles. Two built-in submachine guns with 5.7x28mm ammunition and two M320 GLMs with 40mm grenades are its only weaponry and its also equipped with multi-tool "fangs" that can be used for repairs/dismantling and hack into computer systems as well as connect with other electronic devices, making them useful for missions that involve cyberwarfare and intelligence gathering operations despite their still-early stages of development.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Subprime gadgets

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me THIS SUNDAY in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON: YA Fantasy, Room 207, 10 a.m.; Signing, 11 a.m.; Teaching Writing, 2 p.m., Room 213CD.

The promise of feudal security: "Surrender control over your digital life so that we, the wise, giant corporation, can ensure that you aren't tricked into catastrophic blunders that expose you to harm":

https://locusmag.com/2021/01/cory-doctorow-neofeudalism-and-the-digital-manor/

The tech giant is a feudal warlord whose platform is a fortress; move into the fortress and the warlord will defend you against the bandits roaming the lawless land beyond its walls.

That's the promise, here's the failure: What happens when the warlord decides to attack you? If a tech giant decides to do something that harms you, the fortress becomes a prison and the thick walls keep you in.

Apple does this all the time: "click this box and we will use our control over our platform to stop Facebook from spying on you" (Ios as fortress). "No matter what box you click, we will spy on you and because we control which apps you can install, we can stop you from blocking our spying" (Ios as prison):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

But it's not just Apple – any corporation that arrogates to itself the right to override your own choices about your technology will eventually yield to temptation, using that veto to help itself at your expense:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

Once the corporation puts the gun on the mantelpiece in Act One, they're begging their KPI-obsessed managers to take it down and shoot you in the head with it in anticipation of of their annual Act Three performance review:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/08/playstationed/#tyler-james-hill

One particularly pernicious form of control is "trusted computing" and its handmaiden, "remote attestation." Broadly, this is when a device is designed to gather information about how it is configured and to send verifiable testaments about that configuration to third parties, even if you want to lie to those people:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/your-computer-should-say-what-you-tell-it-say-1

New HP printers are designed to continuously monitor how you use them – and data-mine the documents you print for marketing data. You have to hand over a credit-card in order to use them, and HP reserves the right to fine you if your printer is unreachable, which would frustrate their ability to spy on you and charge you rent:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hp-wants-you-to-pay-up-to-36-month-to-rent-a-printer-that-it-monitors/

Under normal circumstances, this technological attack would prompt a defense, like an aftermarket mod that prevents your printer's computer from monitoring you. This is "adversarial interoperability," a once-common technological move:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

An adversarial interoperator seeking to protect HP printer users from HP could gin up fake telemetry to send to HP, so they wouldn't be able to tell that you'd seized the means of computation, triggering fines charged to your credit card.

Enter remote attestation: if HP can create a sealed "trusted platform module" or a (less reliable) "secure enclave" that gathers and cryptographically signs information about which software your printer is running, HP can detect when you have modified it. They can force your printer to rat you out – to spill your secrets to your enemy.

Remote attestation is already a reliable feature of mobile platforms, allowing agencies and corporations whose services you use to make sure that you're perfectly defenseless – not blocking ads or tracking, or doing anything else that shifts power from them to you – before they agree to communicate with your device.

What's more, these "trusted computing" systems aren't just technological impediments to your digital wellbeing – they also carry the force of law. Under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, these snitch-chips are "an effective means of access control" which means that anyone who helps you bypass them faces a $500,000 fine and a five-year prison sentence for a first offense.

Feudal security builds fortresses out of trusted computing and remote attestation and promises to use them to defend you from marauders. Remote attestation lets them determine whether your device has been compromised by someone seeking to harm you – it gives them a reliable testament about your device's configuration even if your device has been poisoned by bandits:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/05/trusting-trust/#thompsons-devil

The fact that you can't override your computer's remote attestations means that you can't be tricked into doing so. That's a part of your computer that belongs to the manufacturer, not you, and it only takes orders from its owner. So long as the benevolent dictator remains benevolent, this is a protective against your own lapses, follies and missteps. But if the corporate warlord turns bandit, this makes you powerless to stop them from devouring you whole.

With that out of the way, let's talk about debt.

Debt is a normal feature of any economy, but today's debt plays a different role from the normal debt that characterized life before wages stagnated and inequality skyrocketed. 40 years ago, neoliberalism – with its assaults on unions and regulations – kicked off a multigenerational process of taking wealth away from working people to make the rich richer.

Have you ever watched a genius pickpocket like Apollo Robbins work? When Robins lifts your wristwatch, he curls his fingers around your wrist, expertly adding pressure to simulate the effect of a watchband, even as he takes away your watch. Then, he gradually releases his grip, so slowly that you don't even notice:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ppqjya/apollo_robbins_a_master_pickpocket_effortlessly/

For the wealthy to successfully impoverish the rest of us, they had to provide something that made us feel like we were still doing OK, even as they stole our wages, our savings, and our futures. So, even as they shipped our jobs overseas in search of weak environmental laws and weaker labor protection, they shared some of the savings with us, letting us buy more with less. But if your wages keep stagnating, it doesn't matter how cheap a big-screen TV gets, because you're tapped out.

So in tandem with cheap goods from overseas sweatshops, we got easy credit: access to debt. As wages fell, debt rose up to fill the gap. For a while, it's felt OK. Your wages might be falling off, the cost of health care and university might be skyrocketing, but everything was getting cheaper, it was so easy to borrow, and your principal asset – your family home – was going up in value, too.

This period was a "bezzle," John Kenneth Galbraith's name for "The magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it." It's the moment after Apollo Robbins has your watch but before you notice it's gone. In that moment, both you and Robbins feel like you have a watch – the world's supply of watch-derived happiness actually goes up for a moment.

There's a natural limit to debt-fueled consumption: as Michael Hudson says, "debts that can't be paid, won't be paid." Once the debtor owes more than they can pay back – or even service – creditors become less willing to advance credit to them. Worse, they start to demand the right to liquidate the debtor's assets. That can trigger some pretty intense political instability, especially when the only substantial asset most debtors own is the roof over their heads:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/06/the-end-of-the-road-to-serfdom/

"Debts that can't be paid, won't be paid," but that doesn't stop creditors from trying to get blood from our stones. As more of us became bankrupt, the bankruptcy system was gutted, turned into a punitive measure designed to terrorize people into continuing to pay down their debts long past the point where they can reasonably do so:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/bankruptcy-protects-fake-people-brutalizes-real-ones/

Enter "subprime" – loans advanced to people who stand no meaningful chance of every paying them back. We all remember the subprime housing bubble, in which complex and deceptive mortgages were extended to borrowers on the promise that they could either flip or remortgage their house before the subprime mortgages detonated when their "teaser rates" expired and the price of staying in your home doubled or tripled.

Subprime housing loans were extended on the belief that people would meekly render themselves homeless once the music stopped, forfeiting all the money they'd plowed into their homes because the contract said they had to. For a brief minute there, it looked like there would be a rebellion against mass foreclosure, but then Obama and Timothy Geithner decreed that millions of Americans would have to lose their homes to "foam the runways" for the banks:

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2012/08/how-treasury-secretary-geithner-foamed-the-runways-with-childrens-shattered-lives/

That's one way to run a subprime shop: offer predatory loans to people who can't afford them and then confiscate their assets when they – inevitably – fail to pay their debts off.

But there's another form of subprime, familiar to loan sharks through the ages: lend money at punitive interest rates, such that the borrower can never repay the debt, and then terrorize the borrower into making payments for as long as possible. Do this right and the borrower will pay you several times the value of the loan, and still owe you a bundle. If the borrower ever earns anything, you'll have a claim on it. Think of Americans who borrowed $79,000 to go to university, paid back $190,000 and still owe $236,000:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/04/kawaski-trawick/#strike-debt

This kind of loan-sharking is profitable, but labor-intensive. It requires that the debtor make payments they fundamentally can't afford. The usurer needs to get their straw right down into the very bottom of the borrower's milkshake and suck up every drop. You need to convince the debtor to sell their wedding ring, then dip into their kid's college fund, then steal their father's coin collection, and, then break into cars to steal the stereos. It takes a lot of person-to-person work to keep your sucker sufficiently motivated to do all that.

This is where digital meets subprime. There's $1T worth of subprime car-loans in America. These are pure predation: the lender sells a beater to a mark, offering a low down-payment loan with a low initial interest rate. The borrower makes payments at that rate for a couple of months, but then the rate blows up to more than they can afford.

Trusted computing makes this marginal racket into a serious industry. First, there's the ability of the car to narc you out to the repo man by reporting on its location. Tesla does one better: if you get behind in your payments, your Tesla immobilizes itself and phones home, waits for the repo man to come to the parking lot, then it backs itself out of the spot while honking its horn and flashing its lights:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

That immobilization trick shows how a canny subprime car-lender can combine the two kinds of subprime: they can secure the loan against an asset (the car), but also coerce borrowers into prioritizing repayment over other necessities of life. After your car immobilizes itself, you just might decide to call the dealership and put down your credit card, even if that means not being able to afford groceries or child support or rent.

One thing we can say about digital tools: they're flexible. Any sadistic motivational technique a lender can dream up, a computerized device can execute. The subprime car market relies on a spectrum of coercive tactics: cars that immobilize themselves, sure, but how about cars that turn on their speakers to max and blare a continuous recording telling you that you're a deadbeat and demanding payment?

https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/miss-a-payment-good-luck-moving-that-car/

The more a subprime lender can rely on a gadget to torment you on their behalf, the more loans they can issue. Here, at last, is a form of automation-driven mass unemployment: normally, an economy that has been fully captured by wealthy oligarchs needs squadrons of cruel arm-breakers to convince the plebs to prioritize debt service over survival. The infinitely flexible, tireless digital arm-breakers enabled by trusted computing have deprived all of those skilled torturers of their rightful employment:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/02/innovation-unlocks-markets/#digital-arm-breakers

The world leader in trusted computing isn't cars, though – it's phones. Long before anyone figured out how to make a car take orders from its manufacturer over the objections of its driver, Apple and Google were inventing "curating computing" whose app stores determined which software you could run and how you could run it.

Back in 2021, Indian subprime lenders hit on the strategy of securing their loans by loading borrowers' phones up with digital arm-breaking software:

https://restofworld.org/2021/loans-that-hijack-your-phone-are-coming-to-india/

The software would gather statistics on your app usage. When you missed a payment, the phone would block you from accessing your most frequently used app. If that didn't motivate you to pay, you'd lose your second-most favorite app, then your third, fourth, etc.

This kind of digital arm-breaking is only possible if your phone is designed to prioritize remote instructions – from the manufacturer and its app makers – over your own. It also only works if the digital arm-breaking company can confirm that you haven't jailbroken your phone, which might allow you to send fake data back saying that your apps have been disabled, while you continue to use those apps. In other words, this kind of digital sadism only works if you've got trusted computing and remote attestation.

Enter "Device Lock Controller," an app that comes pre-installed on some Google Pixel phones. To quote from the app's description: "Device Lock Controller enables device management for credit providers. Your provider can remotely restrict access to your device if you don't make payments":

https://lemmy.world/post/13359866

Google's pitch to Android users is that their "walled garden" is a fortress that keeps people who want to do bad things to you from reaching you. But they're pre-installing software that turns the fortress into a prison that you can't escape if they decide to let someone come after you.

There's a certain kind of economist who looks at these forms of automated, fine-grained punishments and sees nothing but a tool for producing an "efficient market" in debt. For them, the ability to automate arm-breaking results in loans being offered to good, hardworking people who would otherwise be deprived of credit, because lenders will judge that these borrowers can be "incentivized" into continuing payments even to the point of total destitution.

This is classic efficient market hypothesis brain worms, the kind of cognitive dead-end that you arrive at when you conceive of people in purely economic terms, without considering the power relationships between them. It's a dead end you navigate to if you only think about things as they are today – vast numbers of indebted people who command fewer assets and lower wages than at any time since WWII – and treat this as a "natural" state: "how can these poors expect to be offered more debt unless they agree to have their all-important pocket computers booby-trapped?"

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/29/boobytrap/#device-lock-controller

Image: Oatsy (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/oatsy40/21647688003

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[thehydromancer]

Colonial Espatier Task Force Lan, assigned to protect the space colony of Umbral Keep. Umbral Keep, despite its vast potential to enrich the megacorp Krewstara and provide highly valuable resources to Sol, only rates the minimal Colonial Espatier investment given its isolated location and the competing need to protect the Aeralyn terraformer project in the same system. If it wasn't for the nearby transit gate and the previous Ijad invasion of the system, its possible The Powers That Be wouldn't have bothered at all. The PCL-01 Rookery class light carrier (inspired by the ARMD carrier from Robotech/Macross). The Fisher King is assigned to Taske Force Lan and the sister ship to the Angraal assigned to Task Force Kay tasked with guarding the Aeralyn terraformer colony. The Rookery class is a converted orbital platform popular with salvage and maintenance operations. Using the Fisher King as an example, the primary upgrades to the base craft are an integrated hangar with an elevator to the catapult, upgraded sensors and communications, and additional engines both for primary thrust and rapid maneuvering. The ships ability to rapidly change velocity is its primary defense as it is lightly armed and armored, completely dependent on its mobile frame company to defend it from aggressors. Multiple locations were reinforced for PDG installation, but the Fisher King has yet to receive this upgrade. In theory the Rookery class can transport a standard mobile frame company's entire 14 frame compliment, but it is only designed to launch and support up to a single augmented squad of 6 frames at a time during combat operations. The Angraal however is rumored to be undergoing upgrades to support an additional mobile frame squad during combat as well as additional defenses despite concerns on impacts to the ships overall speed.

Kobold frigates, based on the general purpose tug of the same name, are a slapdash, minimal cost answer to Colonial Espatier needs throughout the transit gate network. Kobolds are often present en masse around gates and space colonies, and are relatively cheap and easy enough to acquire that the local megacorp losing a few to stand up the local espatier chapter is of neglectable impact in exchange for the security provided. The two kobold examples provided are the Sylph, a missile boat, and the Salameid, a gun boat. Almost completely unarmored the kobold frigates rely on speed and distance, much like the Fisher King, to avoid enemy fire, although at least the Salameid is equipped with 4x PDGs for anti-frame defense.

[askarsjustsoswedish]

GENERATION KILL - MILITARY TERMINOLOGY AND SLANG USED IN THE MINISERIES (Part 1, A-M)

// I've been reorganising my files I thought this may be useful for some GenKill fans. //

All rights HBO

For Immediate Release                                                          June 25, 2008

.50 Caliber:  the standard heavy, vehicle-mounted machine gun used by U.S. forces since World War Two; aka “Fifty cal,” “the Fifty,” “M-2” and “Ma Deuce.”

5.56 Machine Gun Rounds:  the diameter of bullets in millimeters used by US forces in all rifles and light machine guns; aka “NATO rounds.”  Distinguished from Iraq’s Soviet standard military, which uses 7.62mm rounds in their weapons.

507 Maintenance:  U.S. Army unit that took a wrong turn into Nasariyah and was ambushed.  Note: This is best known as the unit to which Jessica Lynch belonged, though the platoon will not learn of Lynch by name, or her status as the most famous U.S. prisoner of war, until Part 3.

Alpha Company:  Bravo’s sister company in First Recon Battalion, commanded by the highly popular and respected Captain Patterson, the polar opposite of Bravo’s commander “Encino Man.”

America’s Shock Troops:  a catchphrase invoking Donald Rumsfeld’s plans of a lean, stripped-down invasion force modeled after German forces of WWII.  This is a deliberate reference to the German Shock Troops, the SS, used to spearhead blitzkriegs across France and Poland.  Ferrando takes pride in knowing his battalion will be the premiere shock-troop unit of the entire Marine Corps.

Amtrac:  a loud, ungainly amphibious vehicle used to transport Marines on the ground in Iraq; also used as a mobile fighting platform.

A-O (Area of Operations):  an A-O can be as large as all of Iraq or as small as the area around a Marines encampment.

Ass:  Marine slang for any weapon system or unit that packs a lot of fire power.  “We’re rolling with a lot of ass today” means “We will be accompanied by tanks or attack helicopters today.”

Assassin:  radio call sign for First Recon’s Alpha Company.  “Assassin Actual” is Alpha’s Company Commander, Captain Patterson.

Assault Through:  primary Marine tactic when encountering a close ambush, linked to the mantra drilled into every Marine since day one of boot camp when every Marine must repeat, “I am a Marine, and every Marine is a rifleman and a rifleman’s duty is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire...”  This is, in a nutshell, the doctrine of the entire U.S. Marine Corps.

AT4 Rocket:  the ubiquitous anti-tank rocket carried by Marine ground forces.  Fired from a self-contained plastic tube about a meter long and weighing just a few kilos, it can destroy a heavy tank.  During the Iraq invasion most AT4s are fired into Iraqi homes to clear out potential enemy forces.

Atropine injector:  atropine is a chemical that counteracts certain nerve agents.  Atropine injectors are issued to troops who expect to be preparing or receiving chemical attacks, and in this instance, Iraqis.

Attriting:  to wear down; verb version of “attrition,” peculiar to the military.

B.R.C. (Basic Reconnaissance Course):  the school a Marine must attend and graduate from to become a Recon Marine; the most sought-after training course in the Corps.  Only about one percent of all Marines qualify to enter B.R.C. and half of those who enter fail to complete it.

Battalion Commander:  Lt. Colonel Stephen Ferrando, commander of the 370-man strong First Recon Battalion, call sign “Godfather.”

Beanies:  black-knitted watch caps typically worn by sailors.  A powerful status symbol; only Recon Marines are allowed to wear them within the First Division.

Belt-fed:  excited; refers to linked rounds fed through a machine gun.  Can also be used an intensifier, as in, “That guy is a belt-fed son of a bitch,” i.e., a real son of a bitch.

Blouse his boots:  to tuck pants-legs into the tops of one’s boots and keep them in place by wrapping a metal spring around the fabric just below the boot-top; part of Ferrando’s hated Grooming Standard.  Not only are the springs used in the boot blousing uncomfortable, blousing one’s boot ensures that all the ambient sand will pour directly into the wearer’s boot.

Blue Force Tracking Antenna:  an antenna for the Blue Force Tracker, a new computerized mapping system that – when it occasionally works properly – identifies the locations of all “blue,” or friendly, forces and the locations of all known “red,” or enemy. forces.  Locations of such forces across the entire Middle East are updated every 30 seconds.  Sgt. Colbert possesses one of only a handful Blue Force Trackers in the entire battalion.

Boonie Cap:  a standard issue floppy field hat, like a camouflaged version of the hat worn by Gilligan on “Gilligan’s Island”;  aka soft cover.

Bound past:  “bounding” is a specific form of maneuver favored by the Marine Corps, employed by two-man fire teams or the entire division.

Buck Fever:  too quick to identify threats; a hunting term that comes from the expression to “put buck’s horns on a doe,” i.e., seeing a valid target when there is none.

Butterfly Trigger:  a safety trigger that requires two thumbs to actuate.

C.G. (Commanding General):  always means General Mattis, Commanding General of the First Marine Division, when these Marines use the phrase.

C.O. (Commanding Officer):  usually applied to the Battalion Commander (Maj. or Lt. Col.), or less frequently the Company Commander (Capt.), but never to a Platoon Commander (Lieut.).

C.O.I., freqs covered, freqs plain:  Encryption lingo necessary to operate radios.

“Captain America”:  derisive nickname for Capt. Dave McGraw, commander of Bravo’s Third Platoon, sister platoon to the heroes in Second Platoon.  Note:  Although Captain America is a rank above Lt. Fick, as commanders of respective sister platoons they are peers with one another.

Cas-evac:  casualty evacuation; similar to the older phrase med-evac.  Cas-evac technically means an evacuation in a combat zone of a patient who has not yet been stabilized, but it’s become the cool way to say any form of medical evacuation.

“Casey Kasem”:  a mocking nickname applied to Gunnery Sgt. Ray Griego, Encino Man’s aide de camp, based on the smarmy host of the Top 40 radio show and the voice of Shaggy in the original “Scooby Doo!” cartoon series.

Charms:  brand name of a hard candy provided to U.S. troops in the meal rations, but seldom consumed due to the belief that they produce bad luck.

Cleared hot:  given permission to fire your weapon by a superior.

Cobra Gunship:  armored helicopter used only by U.S. Marines,  unique because Cobras work in extremely close proximity to Marine ground forces.

Col. Joe Dowdy:  Commander of Regimental Combat Team One, popular among his troops for his reputation of caring about their welfare.  Later relieved of his command by General Mattis for not being aggressive enough and risking his troops to achieve battlefield goals.

Command Vehicle:  Lt. Fick’s Humvee, configured like a pick-up truck with a canvas covering.

Completely outside of what First Recon does:  this battalion is trained to swim or parachute behind enemy lines, not to drive into attacks in Humvees.  Their motto is “Swift Silent Deadly.”

Condition One:  a verb that means to put one’s weapon on red con one; rack a round into your chamber.

Contact:  a visual or physical encounter with enemy forces, said when you either see them or they start shooting at you.

Cyclone:  fierce swirls of dust common to Iraq, which dance across landscape and in some cases will collide with a person, tent or vehicle.  They range in height from a few meters to several hundred meters; aka dust devils.

D.C.U. (Desert Camouflage Uniform):  any field garment with desert camouflage.

DASC and DASC-A:  Direct Air Support Communications headquarters, with one based on the ground and one based in an AWACs plane.

Deck:  keeping with their nautical tradition, anything Marines stand on is the deck, be it on a ship, the desert or the floor of a tent.

Delta Company:  a company of reservist Recon Marines expected to be attached to First Recon Battalion.  Delta will prove to be a bunch of under-trained, overzealous, poorly equipped cops-on-leave and office guys who know nothing about war.

Deuce Gear:  a web of straps and hooks worn as an outer garment, to which one affixes extra gear such as ammo packs and canteens; aka Load Bearing Vest or L.B.V.

Devil Dog:  a Marine.

Dip:  smokeless tobacco used by American fighting forces; a dip is a quantity of tobacco placed between one’s lips and gums.  To dip is the habit of consuming smokeless tobacco.

Donkey Dicks:  venerable Marine Corps term for a variety of phallic-shaped implements from engine hoses, to gas can funnels, to cleaning brushes for large mortar tubes.

“Echo Four Lima”:  refers to Corporal Lilley, whose pay-grade is “E-4” and whose last name begins with “L.”  In radio code phonetics, he becomes “Echo Four Lima.”  Sergeant Colbert, whose pay grade is “E-5,” would become “Echo Five Charlie” over the radio.

“Encino Man”:  Captain Craig Schwetje, Commander of Bravo Company, Lt. Fick’s immediate superior officer; the nickname is a reference to the dim-witted Neanderthal hero of the film “Encino Man.”  This Encino Man is a former football star, none too bright, with an ape-like face:  he is also referred to in phonetic alphabet code, in which “Encino Man” is changed to “Echo Mike.”

Enlisted Tent: Area where privates through to sergeants sleep.  The senior non-commissioned officers such as Staff Sergeants, Gunnery Sergeants, Master Sergeants and the Sergeant Major are technically of the enlisted ranks, and occupy an elite position somewhere between sergeants and officers.

Ephedra:  over-the-counter diet pills, now banned by Marines as a speed-like stimulant.

E-tool:  a collapsible shovel carried by all Marines; short for “Excavation-tool.”

F.O.:  Forward Observer; anyone spotting targets for Iraqi or insurgent forces.

Fedayeen:  a Baathist paramilitary unit trained in guerrilla tactics and established by Saddam Hussein’s son in the 1990s to infiltrate and terrorize the Shia populace, but in the current conflict, arrayed against the American invasion, they are also referred to generically as “insurgents.”

Fiddies:  fifties, i.e., .50 cal. machine guns; former ghetto car repo man Espera uses the gangsta counting system in which “fiddie” equals 50, a “buck” or a “hundo” equals a hundred, a “deuce” equals either two or two-hundred, a “grand” equals a thousand, etc.

Flak jacket:  a heavy yet flexible shrapnel-resistant vest.

Foot-mobile:  a person on foot.

Forty Mike-Mike:  40 millimeter; refers to either an individual 40mm self-propelled grenade round or the weapon that launches them, such as the M-19.

Foshizzle…Hajizzle:  a goof on Snoop Dogg’s hip-hop lingo to mean “for sure” and “Haji.”

Free-balling:  not wearing underpants.

Fucking Sixta:  Sgt. Maj. John Sixta, Sergeant Major for this battalion;  aka “The Fucking Retard,” “Mister Potato Head,” “The Coward of Khafji.”  His role and actions both dictate that he is despised by enlisted men.

Get some:  to “get some” means to do any thing really cool like run a fast mile or kill someone.  [Mo here: I’ve removed one extremely graphic sentence here, which basically says that the term can also apply to sexual conquest.] [O]ften used as an exclamation or cheer.  Latino Marines use the Spanish “Chingaso” and whites have adopted it, so “Get some!” and “Chingaso!” are interchangeable.

Godfather:  call sign of Lt. Col. Ferrando, as well as his battalion.  Ferrando earned the call sign because his vocal chords were removed after a bout with cancer, causing him to speak like Marlon Brando in the noted film.  Note:  Godfather often speaks of himself in the third person:  instead of saying, “I think…,” he will say, “Godfather thinks…”

Grape Beverage Base:  grape juice powder; the name printed on the packaging in the military rations.  Used by Marines rather than the more familiar civilian term.

The Grooming Standard:  not to be confused with Marine Corps standard grooming regulations, the Grooming Standard is Battalion Commander Ferrando’s much more exacting dress and grooming code for those who serve under him.

 G-Shock Wristwatch:  the popular xtreme sports watch, as essential to Marine fashion as Oakley sunglasses.

H & S Company:  the Headquarters and Supply company.  More than half the 370 men in the battalion belong to H & S, responsible for supporting the “line companies” or combat units, made up of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies.

Habudabi:  a nickname for Arabs.

Haji:   an Iraqi or Arab or Muslim of any ethnicity, from the Arabic “Haji,” which is the honorific term for anyone who has made the trip to Mecca, the Haj.  Most Americans who use the term Haji are probably not referring to that pilgrimage, but to the once-popular children’s cartoon show “Johnny Quest,” in which the white boy hero’s turban-wearing sidekick was named Haji.  Not necessarily a pejorative term, Haji may be used as an adjective to describe anything Middle Eastern, e.g., Iraq’s customary flat bread is referred to as “Haji bread” or “Haji tortillas.”

Hardball:  paved road, as opposed to unpaved.

Herringbone:  to halt a convoy of vehicles at a 45-degree angle to the axis of a highway, much like the pattern of fishbones.  Herringbone can be used as a noun or verb.

Hitman Two:  “Hitman” is the radio call sign for Bravo Company and “Two” refers to second platoon, one of three platoons in the company.  “Hitman” can refer to the actual company commander of Bravo or the company itself.  All units have call-signs, rather like official nicknames, which are used in radio communications.  For example, General Mattis, commander of all Marine ground forces in Iraq, is “Chaos.”

Hitman Two One Actual:  Bravo Company’s Second Platoon Team One Leader, Sergeant Colbert.  While “Hitman Two One” refers to the entire team, “Actual” means the actual commander.  “Hitman Two” refers to all of Bravo Second Platoon, but “Hitman Two Actual” is the platoon commander, Lt. Fick.  In addition, “The Actual,” or commander, is also referred to as “The Zero.”

“I glassed it:”  “I viewed the object through binoculars or a rifle scope.”

“I got your six”:  “I’ve got your back”; from the clock point in which the hour of six is at the bottom of the dial, if you were oriented toward the 12 hour.  “On your three” would indicate something or someone on your immediate right.  “On your four” would indicate something or something on your right and slightly behind you.

I.A. (Immediate Action):  whatever you train to do when the shit hits the fan.

Javelin Team:  two Marines who carry and operate a powerful anti-tank missile called a “Javelin.”

K-bar:  a knife carried by Marines.

Kevlar:  a helmet; while civilians know Kevlar as the brand-name of a bullet resistant material, Marines refer to their Kevlar helmets simply as Kevlars.  Note:  Even though flak jackets are also made of Kevlar, they are never referred to as such.

Kill Zone, Kill Box:  the area where the enemy hopes to direct, channel and trap you in order to kill you, or where you hope to do the same to him.

L.A.V.’s (Light Armored Vehicle):  used only by the Marine Corps;  amphibious, eight-wheeled machines that look like upside-down bathtubs painted black.

L.O.D. (Line of Departure):  the border between Kuwait and Iraq.

Leatherman:  the all-in-one pliers, screwdriver and knife tool carried by Marines.

The L.T.:  nickname for a Lieutenant.  Note:  A specific lieutenant or other commanding officer is often also referred to as “The Sir.”

M.R.E.:  Meal Ready to Eat; standard military fare, food manufactured a decade ago and served as a complete, self-heating meal in a plastic bag.

M.S.R. Eight:  Main Supply Route Eight; any paved road is typically referred to as an “M.S.R.”

M.S.R. Tampa:  Main Supply Route Tampa.  Not only are roads designated M.S.R.s,  but American military planners have also given them names that will be easier for U.S. troops to pronounce than Arabic ones.

M-19:  a heavy, vehicle-mounted machine gun that fires armor-penetrating grenades instead of bullets; AKA MK-19, Mark-19, and Forty Mike-Mike.

M-249 SAW:  hand-held or bipod-mountable machine gun common to U.S. forces.  “SAW” stands for Squad Automatic Weapon and fires at a rate of 750 rounds per minute.  Notoriously easy to discharge by accident, hence Marine folklore:  “The SAW’s got a mind of its own, it wants to kill a motherfucker.”

M-4:  rifle carried by most recon Marines; similar to the standard U.S.-military M-16, but with a shortened barrel and collapsible stock.  Note:  Officers and POGs carry M-16s.  (2-3)

M-40:  standard, bolt action Marine sniper rifle.

Mathilda:  Northern Kuwait camp where these Marines stayed, with about 5,000 others, in the weeks before the invasion.

MOPP:  a nuclear, biological chemical protection suit; stands for Mission Oriented Protective Posture.  Can be an adjective, as in “we were MOPPED-up,” or “wearing our MOPP suits.”

Moto:  from motivational, anything that expresses the highly-motivated spirit of Marines.  Shouting “Get Some!” is a moto thing to do.  Moto films are the small movies and slide shows Marines make documenting the crazy things they see in this war.

Mud:  the white supremacist term for a non-white individual.

[novankenn]

Jaune et Carro Veloce

Jaune was feeling miserable. His skills were so far below his peers that it was laughable... in a pathetic way. Though his academics in everything but things specifically associated with fighting grimm duties were well above the average. Wonders of the public school system.

So after another desperate failure in Professor Goodwitch's combat class, he wandered off. He heard his friends and teammates calling after him, but he just walked away without a word. Wishing to avoid any and everyone he took the stairs down into the basement of Beacon.

It was dark and damp. The overhead bulbs giving very little usable light. Reaching into his rear belt pouch he pulled out a small flashlight. Say what you would about his performance in combat... Jaune was adept at being prepared for mundane things, like basic wilderness survival.

He looked about, and wandered. His footfalls echoing about the dusty and cobweb cluttered corridors and rooms. There wasn't much of interest. Most of the rooms being either completely empty, or holding boxes of books. Jaune had opened one of the boxes finding it filled with Professor Port's Autobiography "The Heroic Age of the Indominable Sir Port of Vale."

Jaune: Must not have sold well.

Jaune tossed the book back onto the pile of boxes after flipping through it quickly, and continued his exploration. Pulling out his scroll he checked the time. He had been gone for a good three hours and his screen was filled with missed call and message notifications. Sighing he put it away, deciding he would answer a little later.

Turning a corner he saw a massive shadowed filled room. Cautiously he approached, using his flashlight to try and pierce the darkness. Having no success he turned his attention to the near walls, and quickly located a bank of light switches. Flicking them all on he flinched as blaring bright white lights came to blazing life.

Jaune: Oh... wow...

Jaune was stunned by what he found. The room was massive, and filled with artifacts from the Great War and the Faunus Revolution... specifically mobile terrestrial heavy weapon plate forms...

Jaune: Tanks... wow... Tanks on Tanks...

Jaune turned off his flashlight and stowed in away, as he wondered about, his eyes alight with excitement he hadn't felt in ages. While he wasn't specifically a weapon geek like Ruby, he did have a guilty pleasure, aside from comics... and that was tanks. In particular tankettes. While he admired the utility and power of the larger more impressive pieces, he absolutely adored the very much smaller, and faster mini-tanks.

Jaune: An Atlean Panzer IV. A Vale Sherman Firefly. A Vacoan T34, and a Mistralian Tiger I !!!

Jaune wondered, totally forgetting about contacting his friends, which further flew out of his thoughts when he saw it. With a shaking hand he reached out and touched the welded steel armor plating.

Jaune: A Valean Carro Veloce CV33 with twin 8mm machineguns... and over there is the conversion for the 20mm Anti-Material Gun!!!

Jaune was in awe and excited beyond measure as he hovered around what he would call an adorable tankette. Until that revelry was shatter by a voice from behind.

Ozpin: Are you enjoying yourself Mr. Arc?

Jaune: Ah... um...

Ozpin: You are not in trouble Mr. Arc though I was not aware you held such an affinity for... such antiques.

Jaune: Antiques!!! These are pieces of artwork! Form and function made reality! Iron and steel powered by flame and thunder, manned by bone and blood!!!

Ozpin: Please calm down. I only came to see if you are alright. You friends are worried and security alerted me to you entering this area.

Jaune: I'm sorry, I'll...

Ozpin: I already said you are not in trouble Mr. arc. Far from that in fact.

Jaune: Huh?

Ozpin: It is a shame that these icons of human and faunus ingenuity lie here moldering away. How would you like to pick one?

Jaune: Huh?

Ozpin: Pick one. Restore it. Beacon will provide the funds, and maybe you could get others interested in doing the same.

Jaune: This one!

(Imaged sourced from Girls und Panzer wiki)

A/N: Girls und Panzer is a fun Anime... and I get a real kick out of this small Italian Tankette. I want my mind to envision how it would fight against grimm..

[imustbenuts]

nuts reading in jp 11 - wrap up for vol 2 + i can talk about TriStamp undertaker wolfwood a little!!! whooo!!!

its been hella weird to read trigun in japanese since my first read was in english. i think i dug out a few extra stuff i didnt know existed in the work during this little journey. (thank you for joining in on my rambles!)

no real translation word related stuff today. mostly culture stuff dump.

but man i was right on the money when i said vash was stressed in #10. i forget he actually falls unconscious after dominique quits the narrative. yay~

me after i finish these posts at 5am every time

and then, him.

🥺✨✨raidei the blade. ✨✨ 🥺

listen. this guy. this fucking guy is, personally, the funniest guy in the entirety of trigun. for that line above in the 98 anime, and also for some stuff he represents. ...and it's not for larping reasons. ill get into that another day, please look forward to it. (i say this knowing his backstory was rough.)

anyway its time.... for Wolfwood's 'job change'.

in the manga he introduces himself as a tradesman Priest. it doesnt make much sense to outsiders but despite people getting confused, it mostly gets hand waved off as the guy being a little eccentric. and also prideful.

we then get more information about that being a cover for him being one of the Gung Ho Guns, Chapel. he can fight, hes an assassin, his job is to somehow get at Vash while being technically employed by Knives.

this wolfwood has absolutely no struggle with himself as a Priest specifically. heck, its even giving him some confidence bc he actually knows his stuff and can get by with those priestly things alone. at least, i assume so, bc otherwise the pride thing would be very misplaced as he is revealed that he really wants out of the insane GHG business, and wants nothing to do with his coworkers, as it were.

but TriStamp Wolfwood is... different in that pride regard

this version of wolfwood introduces himself as an Undertaker. he's technically a Priest, but he clearly lacks so much pride that he chooses to be an Undertaker.

the narrative tracks since he's the guide to send Vash to hell in tristamp, but theres at least 1 more layer to this.

so, Shinto! Shinto has played a very big part in Japanese culture and history since idk the beginning of Japanese history, affecting society and culture and governance.

key thing for this post: Shinto has a concept named Kegare/Defilement, which you can think of as an accumulation of evil energy. bad energy. bad enough to attract misfortune, evil spirits, and evil evil evil bad bad bad. (ive actually written about this in video game context before if you wanna read it here)

Kegare is generated upon death, blood, menstruation, and all that. in some modern media, Kegare can also be depicted to be generated by an accumulation of negative emotions from people. but for the longest time, it was mainly Death. (oh and somewhat also women with the whole uh.... you know, menstruation, childbirth, and stillbirths etc.)

but: Kegare is NOT sin, and should not be seen as such.

old japan governance also used Caste System. so combine that with shinto, and society and here's the not fun stuff: we now have a discriminated class of people who did all of society's very necessary but deemed dirty jobs. these are the Butchers, Leatherworkers, Executioners, and Undertakers. (which is wild. a society would not be able to function without them.)

they are shunned, deemed too dirty, too tainted, too polluted to ever have a hope of having a better life. since social mobility wasnt a thing with Caste System. and coming too close to them means pollution on the self too.

the Caste System got abolished, and today the descendants are called Burakumin 部落民. they are still being discriminated against to this day. the remnants of the dirtiness with certain jobs still remain, especially with jobs that involves the dead. its also possible to know who is a descendant of one through family names, which can be used to trace family registry and sus out old residences etc.

feel free to watch the above video for a clearer explanation by a japanese man instead of just taking my word for it >_>

back to wolfwood.

studio orange making him go from Priest to Undertaker is likely rooted in a logic associated with this. that TriStamp wolfwood lacks the confidence to have a strong identity outside of GHG, whereas manga wolfwood has. that TriStamp wolfwood really does think of himself as trash and worthless even before outsiders' judgement, whereas manga wolfwood's struggle is more about an internal struggle of being lost.

manga wolfwood is also never truly free from his identity as Chapel until the very end.

but TriStamp wolfwood gets a full contract saying that hes free from Chapel (i assume!)

i think theres also additional implications but im losing braincells by the minute. the change makes so much sense and tracks so well that apart from the confidence thing, everything is more or less intact.

(worth possibly nothing also, I think TriStamp wolfwood isnt fully checking boxes of uhhh Normality in japanese context. hes dressed in a mess, hes not clean shaven, his skin is kinda dark and not fair, he speaks in non-standard japanese. but ymmv, he will be ok in kansai at least, but not fully fitting in in Capital Tokyo nor ex-Capital Kyoto.)

i also, admittedly, dont know much about the culture surrounding death and undertakers within the states or europe so i cant comment much on that aspect. im aware i must have missed something. on that front, sorry D:

anyway thats all i got for now! thanks for reading this long ass post! EDIT: IMPORTANT ADDITION - Baptism parallel with Shinto

[lets-talk-gundam]

The MS-07B Gouf

In preparation for the invasion of Earth, Zeon forces modified a number of MS-06 Zaku-II F-types for use under the effects of the planet's gravity. The new "J-type" Zaku-IIs featured a number of internal hardware and software changes to enhance their viability on the ground.

The Zaku-II J-Type would be used as a testbed for new developments with the goal of creating a new mass-production mobile suit for use on the ground. And where the Zaku was intended for anti-ship and anti-aerospace combat, this new platform would be built to fight other mobile suits.

Zimmad and Zeonic would both begin working on this new project, directly competing with one another, but eventually coming up with very similar designs. Zeonic moved forward with the YMS-07A Prototype Gouf, and Zimmad presented the YMS-08A High Mobility Test Type.

While Zimmad's design failed to show a significant increase in performance from the Zaku-II J-Type, Zeonic's "Gouf" showed immense promise. The prototype would be picked up and would see a limited production run as the MS-07A Gouf.

The MS-07A was a pre-production model intended for data gathering. The final mass-production model would feature several additional weapon systems, such as an in-built 75mm machine gun in the left manipulator, and a retractable "Heat Rod" on the left forearm.

The Gouf was used to great effect by Zeon captain Ramba Ral, who went toe-to-toe with the Earth Federation's infamous RX-78-2 Gundam.

Among the Ace pilots who used the Gouf as their personal units, Viche Donahue, Silas Locke, and Norris Packard were among the most well-known. All three of these aces would become battlefield legends, with Packard's MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom becoming especially infamous. The machine's equipment proved so effective that it became a common alternate loadout for many Gouf pilots.

The MS-07 would be customized for a variety of roles and theaters, with many of these variants seeing further developments of their own.

Notable among these was the MS-07W Gouf Combined Test Type, which featured a miniaturized Dopp fighter serving as its cockpit. The development of the machine was heavily influenced by data gathered from the Federation's RX-series of mobile suits. Namely, their "Core Block" system.

The Gouf would also see another fork, being developed into the MS-07H Gouf Flight Type. While both prototypes made use of thermonuclear rocket engines, the final version used thermonuclear jet engines, allowing for greater efficiency in atmospheric flight.

The MS-07B saw further refinement into the MS-07C. While not much is known about its specifications, there are at least three known variants. A number of Goufs were acquired by Zimmad and used as testbeds for systems to be incorporated into the MS-09 Dom series of mobile suits. These Goufs were MS-07Cs.

And finally, in UC 120, nearly 50 years from the initial deployment of the original machine, Mars Zeon would develop and deploy the OMS-07RF RF Gouf. While externally resembling the MS-07B, the OMS-07-RF was a completely new machine which could also operate in space, unlike its predecessors.

The MS-07B Gouf was originally designed by Kunio Okawara for the 1979 Anime "Mobile Suit Gundam".

This article was a request! Requests are always welcome!

I am so terribly sorry for the delay in getting this post out! It's been a very hectic few months, but I'm hoping to get back in the flow of things!

[starman-john-tracy]

"You're safe here with me" + "I won't let anything happen to you" with Casey? :) 💙

John had taken the space elevator down to the GDF headquarters no more than half an hour ago, at Colonel Casey's request. There'd been a cyber attack on base; an attempted takeover of the GDF's long range weapons systems, and though nothing has been fired - they needed to rule out the possibility that someone could. With the tech team scrambling for solutions, scouring the databanks for any way someone could have remotely accessed their codes and their LAN, the Colonel could only think of one man she both trusts, and who’s qualified to step in and salvage the situation.

And with an updated firewall to prevent remote access, that he personally provided the protocol for, the only thing John Tracy can do to help is show up in person.

Only, John's got the soft edge of an atmospheric headache throbbing in his sinuses and his eyeballs are always the slowest thing to respond to the change in pressure between Five and Earth, so, as he bypasses the office full of scurrying IT consultants and heads directly for the server room, ready to not-entirely-legally plug Eos’ palm sized mobile unit into the GDF’s databases to assess the damage, he completely misses the slim, shadowed figure in amongst the data processing banks.

Because the remote attack hadn’t actually been remote at all, and the gunshot wound to John's shoulder, now leaking a dangerous amount of blood all over his IR blues, seemed like a pretty big clue this was no employee.

They're currently holed up in Casey's office - after the head of the GDF had bodily dragged his skinny space ass out of there. She's trying to force him down behind her desk and out of the way, while the intruder pounds on the door: his threats mostly incoherent screams and stray gunshots. John might not be as hot-headed as Scott or his youngest brothers, but he's still a Tracy and, clearly, the last thing he wants to do is sit still while others might be in danger and so the damned fool, who’s clearly never been shot before, keeps trying to get up.

“Colonel, we’ve got to- argh!” The spaceman gasps and jerks like a livewire as Casey presses a wad of cloth - a runner snatched from the fancy corporate meeting table - hard against the dark, bubbling wound in his shoulder. John's feet kick out, heels scraping helplessly against the corporate grey carpeting, and the boy's back arches against the pain in a way that plummets Valerie Casey’s heart straight through her shoes. She forces the emotion away, grabs one of his cold, blue-clad hands, and guides it on top of the wound.

“Keep pressure on that.” She instructs, as the dark stain spreads rapidly into not only his IR blues, but the ugly purple runner too. His fingers fumble and fail to take over the task, and a soft whine makes its way out between his teeth. “Come on John, you know to keep pressure on.” He's having a hard time focusing on her. She thinks he might be in shock.

“But the gunman,” John gasps, his head thrashing to the side, eyes wide, “he’s after-”

“John.” She cups John's ashen, blood-splattered face between both palms, like she would when he was a small boy and he'd come to the woman who was his Auntie in all but DNA with a bruised cheek and a split lip because he didn’t want to tell his Father he was being bullied at school. "You're safe here with me." Her mouth is a hard white line as she unclips her service pistol from it's holster, "I won't let anything happen to you."

The wood around the door handle audible splinters under a particularly savage impact, and Jeff's boy flinches under her fingers.

Oh, absolutely not.

"Security is on their way and no one is getting into this room, John. And if they somehow do," She raises the gun with both hands, holding it steady and level with the door, "they are not getting through me.”

[fandomtrumpshate]

FTH 2024: Supported Nonprofit Organizations

Here are the nonprofit organizations that will be supported by this year's FTH auction. Many of these orgs will be familiar from last year's list, but we've cycled in some new groups as well. In particular, because it's a major election year in the US, we've brought in (or brought back) organations focusing on voter enfranchisement.

If you are a FTH creator and you want to ask your bidders to support an organization that’s not on the list, please read our policy on outside organizations here.

Bellingcat *

Bellingcat is an independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists brought together by a passion for open source research in the public interest.

Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center *

The Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC) is a nonprofit legal organization that fights for liberation and equity through the lens of intersectional disability justice.

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda *

A national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals, NBWRJA delivers proactive advocacy and policy solutions to address issues at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Life After Hate

LAH provides support to people leaving hate groups, and providing pluralism education and training to vulnerable young people.

Middle East Children's Alliance *

MECA is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. They collect funds in order to provide direct aid, financial support for community projects, water purification systems, and university scholarships, and also create educational and cultural programs in the US and internationally to increase cultural understanding.

National Network to End Domestic Violence *

NNEDV offers a range of programs and initiatives to address the complex causes and far-reaching consequences of domestic violence.

Never Again Action *

A Jewish-led mobilization against the persecution, detention, and deportation of immigrants in the United States, NAA takes on campaigns against detention centers and ICE training programs, and organizes mutual aid and deportation defense.

Razom *

Razom initiates short and long-term projects, or collaborates on existing projects with partner organizations, which help Ukraine stay on the path of fostering democracy and prosperity

Sherlock’s Homes Foundation *

SHF provides housing, employment opportunities, and a loving support system for homeless LGBTQ+ young adults so that they can live fearlessly as their authentic selves. Within these homes, young adults learn about responsibility, accountability, financial independence, life skills, and how to love themselves

Spread the Vote

STV helps eligible voters make their voices heard through voter education, supporting voters through the process of getting necessary ID, and advocating against voter suppression laws.

Violence Policy Center *

VPC works to stop gun death and injury through research, education, advocacy, and collaboration; exposes the profit-driven marketing and lobbying activities of the firearms industry and gun lobby, and offers unique technical expertise to policymakers, organizations, and advocates.

VoteRiders

VR works to help all citizens exercise their right to vote. It informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts.

Umbrella: Environmental orgs

For the past four years, FTH has supported one “umbrella” cause: we invite participants to donate to their own local grassroots organization, while also suggesting a handful of exemplary organizations working in communities where the need is especially acute. This year our umbrella category is environmental organizations.

Pollinator Partnership *

Deploy/Us *

Together Bay Area

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Coral Restoration Foundation *

++

Organizations marked with an asterisk (*) allow for international donations directly through their websites. The orgs without asterisks may take international donations through a paypal or venmo account. If you are a non-US-based bidder/donor and you are having trouble finding an organization to which you can donate, please email us directly at fandomtrumpshate @ gmail . com.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Andrew Scott

(Not my gif)(Requested by @sweet-dorky-crazy )

- They say that death is like eternal sleep—that your body remains at the mercy of the living while your consciousness floats endlessly inside of your own head. When Andrew Scott is brought back to life, he finds that he is still asleep, hibernating inside of himself while his body is controlled by somebody else. The UniSol serum flows through his system and acts like anesthesia: it keeps him under, keeps him asleep, keeps him at peace. At peace until he begins to wake up....

- Andrews memories undulate in clarity. They spill out smoothly from the darkest corners of his brain, pulling back from his hands just before he can touch them. You live inside of them—crashing into his head like waves before slipping through his fingers like water. Your presence is fleeting, fading in and out of view like a ghost. You're like the view of the shoreline when his heads being pushed underwater. The short gasps of breath that he catches between mouthfuls of water. He works against the current to get to you and you keep him conscious enough not to drown.

- When his previous life begins to come back to him, it's the carnage that comes first. It cracks across his skull like gunfire: a sudden and violent reminder of the man he once was. He stands in a warzone, in the middle of a jungle surrounded by bodies and blood. He remembers it vividly—but he doesn't recognize where he is. He's lost and there's no way out. Not until he sees you....

- Recognizing you is like wading through molasses, like reaching out towards nothingness and trying to grasp onto something blindly. You appear to him in flashes. Flashes of your hands and your eyes and your face. Flashes of your touch: soft and gentle and caring. Flashes of your voice, the sound of comfort and the voice of reason in a room full of traitors conspiring against him.

- When he walks back into the command center after killing Colonel Perry, his eyes linger on you the longest. He pieces your features together one by one: makes one whole person from a patchwork of different snapshots pulled from his mind. He fits your eyes to your nose, to your lips, to your face—puts you together like a puzzle and lets everything snap into place. You come to focus like a camera, like the clearing of tv static: a crisp image made out of grainy pixels. His gaze doesn't leave you until it has to, until he's turning the corner to set down a pair of ears onto the operating table.

"I've relieved Colonel Perry of his command." He informs everyone inside of the vehicle, stopping to inspect the soldier that you and the rest of medics were attempting to resuscitate.

"G13. This mission has been cancelled. I order you back to the cooling chamber. Now!" An officer barks out at him.

"Orders? I'm giving the orders from now on. ...We have a mission to complete." The click of a gun rings out from behind him: a foolish attempt to subdue him while his back is turned. The outspoken officer from before reaches for his own weapon, moving in solidarity with the man who stands just at the corner of Andrews eye. He shoots the officer first, a perfect shot right between the eyes, then he turns on the medic who started it all, snapping his neck in one swift motion.

"Any questions?" He asks the other two medics, waiting for any sign of opposition. They remain silent and he turns away from them, traces his eyes over the area you'd once inhabited before he finds your figure yet again. In the absence of his attention, you've managed to plaster yourself against the far wall, making yourself as small as possible in an attempt to hide from view. You shake your head 'no' when his eyes lock onto yours, assuming that he's waiting for an answer. The barest hint of a grin pulls at his lips.

“Good.”

- The mobile command center has always been quiet but with Andrews sudden coup d'état, the remaining medics; including yourself, have taken to working in complete silence. The three of you communicate with your eyes, scared to even open your mouths when asking for a scalpel or other surgical device. You work far slower than usual, pausing when assistance is needed: hesitating when trying to decide how you'll voice what you need without actually speaking.

- A whistle breaks the silence, an incredibly successful attempt at gaining the entire rooms attention. Everyone's eyes jump to the man sitting at the vehicles control center. Your stomach drops when you find that his gaze is locked on you. He smiles when your eyes meet, pointing and curling a finger at you, an obvious sign for you to stop what you're doing and come closer. Your hands shake as they slowly set down the things in your grasp, hesitantly making your way over while you and the rest of your team anticipate the worst.

- You stop in the entrance of the operating room, waiting for him to tell you what he wants from you. Instead of speaking, he ushers you closer, curling his finger yet again, amusement crawling across his features. He doesn't let you stop until you're standing just a couple inches away from him. You worry for a moment that he'll reach out and touch you, but you're relieved to find that he doesn't. He asks for your name, asks how your work is going, asks when you think you'll be done.

"I'm making you my second in command, y/n. Make sure they stay on track." He informs you with a wink—you can't tell whether he's trying to intimidate or tease you. You simply nod your head, retreating back to your work as Garth and Woodward exchange worried glances with you. You wonder if it's Andrews comment that ultimately makes them go against your advice....

- When Woodward urges Andrew into the cooling chamber, you try to dissuade him from carrying out his plan. You whisper reason after reason as to why they shouldn't take action, yet none of them seem to get through to the men. You watch helplessly as Garth approaches the sleeping soldier, watch as Andrews hand springs up and latches onto his wrist, watch as he kills the man right in front of you. When he's finished, the soldier turns back to you and Woodward, locking eyes with you from behind the glass. He focuses on the man beside you, more than he does you, and you get the impression that he might have been listening in on your conversation the entire time.

"No more games." He tells the two of you with finality. Woodward, stammers, nervously trying to explain himself. You remain silent.

"Y/n, what did I just say," Andrew interrupts him, eyes still locked on the man beside you. It's obvious that he doesn't believe any of his excuses, or his obvious attempts to lie to him. You hesitantly repeat his words back to him and he smirks. "See. At least someone's listening...."

- After that, you're the only member of the team that Andrew seems to trust. Though that isn't saying much, not when there's only two of you left; besides the two bloodied soldiers that you're still attempting to stitch back together. When Andrew wants something done, he goes to you. When someone needs to get close to him, he makes sure it's you. When Woodward says anything, he looks to you for confirmation. You suppose that after your coworkers attempted betrayal, you've actually become his "second in command".

- He insists that you accompany him whenever he exits the command center, expects you to follow after him whenever he orders you to. It's why you're outside of the vehicle when Woodward manages to blow himself up, standing a few feet away from Andrew as the bar goers take turns taunting him. You keep your gaze on the ground, tensing and grimacing every time one of them makes a comment or a beer can goes flying towards your "superior". You know how this ends, they unfortunately do not.

- When the explosion goes off, you practically jump out of your skin. You're so taken aback that you actually move closer to Andrew, bumping into his solid body as he drops the man he's holding by the ankle. He storms away from you with a curse, storms into the still smoking truck and tosses Woodward's body out into the street. He lands at your feet, not entirely in one piece, and Andrew appears in the doorway soon after, ordering you to get inside.

- He rants to you as he drives to the nearest supermarket, yelling about traitors and killing and war. When he parks the truck, he barks at you to follow him, taking the two dead soldiers, each by one arm, and dragging them out of the vehicle. You follow behind him as he pulls them through different aisles, kicking things out of the way so that he can fit them inside of the freezer. He commands you to fix them and you explain that the cold will do it, if they'll even come back at all.

- One of them makes it, but the other doesn't. You flinch as Andrew kicks at his body, yelling at him to get up and stand at attention. You gently try to break it to him that he isn't gonna make it, tensing in anticipation when the man goes quiet, staring down at the body that lays lifeless on the freezing ground. When he gives up on the man, he grabs you by the wrist, pulling you out of the room as he yells about his platoon dropping like flies.

- He pinches his nose in frustration as the two of you exit the freezer, yelling out at the supermarket customers who have stopped to stare at the scene. He doesn't let go of you, and you're forced to stumble after him as he pulls you this way and that.

- He rants about the war he's fighting and the traitors who are trying to get him, and you realize in that moment that he's never left Vietnam. That he's still stuck in his final moments: fighting for his country and trying to keep himself alive.

- When you finally leave the supermarket, he drives you out to an empty motel, ordering you to stay behind while he finishes tracking and exterminating Deveraux. You wait there obediently, wondering whether or not you should flee.

- Ultimately, you decide to stay put, though you're not entirely sure as to why. You think that maybe it has something to do with you feeling responsible. Andrew is your Frankenstein's monster; a product of your own creation, and as the last of your team left alive, it's your responsibility to deal with him; regardless of what that may entail. A part of you wonders if the man will make it back, but you know better than to doubt him....

- He returns to you in two days time, knocking on your door with bloodied hands. You don't ask what happened, you don't even think you want to know, you simply usher him into the bathroom and gather as much ice as you can. He blinks at you lazily as you fuss over his injuries, covering him in bags of ice and monitoring his wounds as they slowly begin to heal. He calls you nurse, and you wonder if, when he looks at you, he sees you sitting there in an old red cross outfit, taking care of him in some hospital overseas. You tell him that the war is over and hope that the message sticks.

- In the morning, there's a suitcase sitting on the bed opposite your own, it belongs to neither of you and it's undoubtedly stolen from one of the rooms next door. Andrew is already dressed in a t-shirt, one that doesn't quite fit him, and a pair of old jeans. He tosses a dress at you and you go to take a shower, ignoring the stray ice cubes melting at your feet.

- He smiles at you when you exit the bathroom, telling you that you clean up nice. He takes you to a diner down the road and you sit in a booth silently, waiting for the waitress to come and take your order. He orders for himself and then for you, unbothered by your awkward demeanor and the fact that you're struggling to act like everything is normal.

"Not hungry," He asks almost teasingly. On the contrary, you're starving, but your more so worried about what's going to happen when the waitress comes back with the check. Andrew doesn't seem worried though, especially not when he lets out a playful: "I’m buying."

- Andrew makes a habit of talking at you, pretending he doesn't notice your discomfort as he makes one-sided banter and tells you stories from his past. He seems to have a very 'fake it till you make it' mentality, speaking to you like you're both good friends, grinning and winking at you from across the table while stealing fries off of your half eaten plate.

- You're surprised to see him pull out a wallet once you've both finished eating, though you suppose you shouldn't be: not when he's wearing another mans clothes. He pulls out some of the stolen bills and sets them down onto the table, sending you a knowing smirk when you look at them in surprise. He asks if you're ready to go and when you nod, he rises from his seat and wraps an arm around your shoulders, leading you out of the diner and back to your stolen vehicle.

- The two of you drive for the better part of a day, only stopping for gas and the occasional bathroom break. You're not sure where you're going, and you're not sure that Andrew does either, but he still continues to drive, making conversation the entire time.

- At the end of the day, you wind up in a seedy country bar. Andrew leads you to a table at the back of the room, patting the seat next to him when you move to sit across from him. You hesitantly sit by his side, smiling back at him awkwardly when he shoots you a grin. He pats your knee when he jokes with the waitress, like a calling card for when he wants you to smile or laugh. His arm winds up wrapped around your shoulders halfway through dinner, his one hand toying with your hair while he uses the other to talk. You don't want to admit that having his hands on you has begun to elicit feelings other than fear....

- His flirtation starts slow, a stray comment here and there, usually a compliment or something of the sort. You wonder if it has anything to do with him running out of things to say, or if its an attempt to get you to open up. He tells you that you look nice in your dress, better than the scrubs he's used to seeing you in. He asks if you've always had "that scar/beauty mark", gently brushing a finger against the blemish as though he expects it to come off, or maybe just to emphasize what he's talking about. When the sun goes down, he asks if you're cold, tugging the bottom of your dress just that half an inch lower, his hand coming to rest of your knee and not leaving your skin until you're both exiting the car.

- One week on the road turns into two, two turns into three. Andrew starts to get better, starts to claw his way out of the past. The progress is slow but it's there, and you find yourself wanting to be there with him.

- You try to suppress your feelings, try to ignore the guilt that comes with liking a person as rotten as him, but it's really no use. You don't know the exact moment you fall in love with him, you just sort of realize that you have. You see him get hurt and your chest tightens—an undeniable physical reaction, one that proves the very thing that you dread.

- You take him back to the motel room you're staying at, bearing the brunt of his bodyweight as he stumbles through the door. He steadies himself on different walls and furniture, trying not to crush as you help him through the room. His hands leave bloodied fingerprints and his boots leave tracks of mud, though neither of you care very much about either. He mutters out comments about the fight he got into, jokes about his blood "leaving a mark" and how you're stronger than you look.

- He watches you lazily as you gather up ice, clutches onto you like a lifeline as you help him into the tub. You stay silent, too preoccupied with your own thoughts to worry about making conversation. You're sure he can tell that there's something wrong with you, sure that your emotions are written all over your face. You doubt that you're hiding them very well, but at that point you simply don't care.

"I remember this one song you used to play when you worked on me," He interrupts the silence. He imitates the song, snapping his fingers and halfheartedly dancing in an attempt to get you to smile. "That one. ...You used to talk to me sometimes. You knew I could hear, but you didn't think I'd remember. You told me about the people you worked with, things wrong with your apartment, traffic...."

- When his body was still being controlled by UniSol, you'd sometimes find yourself alone in a room with him. Oftentimes, you were tasked with cleaning his injuries or injecting him with one of the many serums that the program administered to their augmented soldiers. You'd make one-sided small talk: used to working on normal patients who appreciated a distraction from what you were doing to them. He'd glance at you sometimes and you'd feel a bit like a veterinarian: like you were speaking to an animal who could recognize that you were addressing it, but couldn't understand a word you were saying. Your coworkers used to tease you for it, but you never really managed to stop.

"Did you do that with everyone or just me?" He asks.

"Just you." You say quietly, just a hair above a whisper, and after he takes a long look at your face, he grabs you by the back of your neck and pulls you into a kiss. You kiss him back before you manage to remember that he's still healing. You pull away from him, holding him at arms length when he makes a move to follow your lips.

"C'mon, don't say you didn't like it." He says, and you know that you won't: because you know that you did.

"You're gonna hurt yourself." You tell him and he raises a brow at you, an amused smirk pulling at his lips.

"Oh, you're that good, huh?" He teases, playfully twisting your words. You shake your head at him, hiding your smile as he settles back down onto the ice....

- Andrew is naturally affectionate but it reaches whole nother level when you're out in public together. There's rarely a moment where he doesn't have his hands on you; when he isn't holding onto you like a prized possession and flaunting your relationship to everyone in sight. A part of him does it because he's scared that you'll get away from him, either run away or just plain disappear— like your life together was nothing but a dream, and that he'll wake up back in the UniSol program or the jungle that he died in. Having his hands on you keeps him grounded, reminds him that he's out of that terrible place and living a; relatively, normal life.

- Another part of him just likes touching you; especially if you're shy and have a tendency to get embarrassed. He likes seeing other peoples reactions to his loving behavior as well. He thinks it's fun to make bystanders; especially his enemies, feel like they're witnessing a hostage situation. He hangs all over you: kissing your skin and pulling you close, keeping an arm wrapped around your shoulders, and pressing you up against his side. Sometimes he'll hug you from behind and press your faces together like you're taking a picture. "Aren't we a perfect pair?" He'll ask whoever's there with a smirk, loving the awkward/concerned way that they react.

- When he's in a less playful mood, he'll make it obvious that he wants the two of you to be left alone, sending glares to whoever's unfortunate enough to make eye contact with him and/or interrupt the two of you while you talk. It's in these moments that he prefers to hold onto your clothes instead of your body: gripping onto your sleeves or the collar of your jacket, worried that he'll hurt you on accident if his mind starts to wander. Most of the time, he'll just stay glued to your side, leaned in close so that the two of you can whisper to each other and keep your conversations private. Sometimes he'll play with your hair or your clothes, wanting something to do with his hands while the two of you go over your plans.

- He has a slightly concerning habit of playing with your ears: tugging on the lobes, toying with your earrings, twirling the hair around them, etc. He does it absentmindedly but it always makes you a little nervous....

- Forehead and Temple kisses. He'll shamelessly pucker his lips whenever he wants a kiss from you; regardless of wherever the two of you are and whoever may be watching.

- Andrew is ravenous when he kisses you: he pulls you in by the back of your neck and doesn't stop until your body goes weak against his own. He's passionate, rough, and sometimes a little dirty—definitely not the type of person you want to be kissing in public.

- Cuddling with Andrew can get a little complicated. If you're just sitting together randomly during the day, then he'll happily wrap himself around you and cradle you in his arms; usually while you lay in his lap. But if you're expecting to cuddle every night then prepare to be disappointed. Some nights he's forced to cool down instead of relax in bed beside you, spending hours in the bathtub surrounded by ice or outside in the cold where the natural chill of the air can fix his issues. Other nights, he's plagued with nightmares and isn't able to sleep, usually opting to keep his distance from you while trying his best to clear his head.

- On good nights, however, he'll keep an arm wrapped loosely around you, nudging you whenever he asks a question/makes a joke—keeping you from falling asleep until he's ready to—or waking up every time you shift in the slightest. You usually rest your head on his chest, shoulder, or in the crook of his neck, nestled close to his side while his space heater of a body keeps you warm and toasty.

- In his more vulnerable moments, he'll lay with his head on your stomach/chest, making comments about how you're "a proper pillow" and that you "can't get this in 'nam". He went down a bit reluctantly the first time the two of you laid like that, so much so that you had to pull him onto you, but once he mumbled out a "this is nice", you knew he was down for the count.

- He's very big on you showing him affection. Choosing to sit on his lap, giving him a kiss with little to no prompting, hugging him, snuggling into his side, wiping dirt or blood or what have you off of his skin for him, etc. It reassures him that he isn't actually holding you hostage; even if he likes to pretend.

- He uses a lot of pet names when addressing you; some more teasing than others. When he's being sweet, he'll call you things like honey, pumpkin, sweetpea, little lady, my girl, etc. Sometimes he'll coo out a "baby", but that's usually when he's in one mood or another. When you fix him up, he calls you "doc" or "nurse". When you cook, he calls you "chef". When he's teaching you something or being bossy, he calls you "soldier". Like I said: he uses a lot of pet names.

- He thinks it's fun to dominate you domestically: trapping you against him, throwing you over his shoulder, picking you up when you're being feisty and playfully reminding you of who you're talking to. It doesn't matter how much you weigh, he picks you up like it's nothing; because to him it truly isn't.

- Andrews compliments aren't the smoothest or the most romantic, but they're always authentic, and they get his point across all the same. He'll call you "the prettiest damn woman [he's] ever seen" and other; oftentimes vulgar, things of the like. And though he might resemble a catcaller more than a loving boyfriend, he somehow manages to make it endearing: whistling and grinning and getting all handsy with you, even when you're looking and feeling your ugliest.

- There's nothing better to him than waking up in the morning and watching you get dressed, smiling at you lazily as you walk around in your undergarments or one of his shirts. A close second is the mini fashion shows you put on whenever you get new clothes and/or want his help in deciding what to wear.

- It's best not to question it whenever he comes home with anything: whether it's food, weapons, different cars, or different clothes.

- Occasionally, he'll come home with jewelry and hold it out to you like a proud cat with it's newest hunt. Sometimes he'll slip it onto you wordlessly or talk about irrelevant things, wait for you to say something about it yourself and/or give him a kiss as a thank you. Other times he'll play with it lazily, twirling it on the table or winding it around his fingers, waiting for you to sit next to him and look curiously at his hands. He'll stop toying with it, hold it out for you to get a good look and ask if you like it.

- On occasion, he'll simply tell you to "c'mere", grab you and tug you closer, or lean in close to you himself, gently securing it around your skin or pulling it over your head. Once he's done, he'll hold you in place and look at it sitting against your skin, admiring the sight; and usually acting a little more subdued and in love.

- Whenever you're around to see him acquire his aforementioned goods, he's even more of a little shit than usual. He goes window shopping on passerby's, asking what you think about strangers necklaces and coats and things of the like. If you compliment anything, he'll ask if you want it: like it's perfectly normal to mug someone on the street just because you can. Even when you insist you don't want something, he'll sometimes say "yeah you do" and just take it anyway; though thankfully it's usually when he's robbing a store instead of a person.

- One day, before the two of you actually started dating/before you considered yourself his girlfriend, he'd somewhat intimidatingly mentioned that " [he] gives you all this stuff" yet never gets anything in return. You'd frozen in response, brain scrambling for something you could give to him before nervously deciding to offer up a bracelet of yours, fully expecting him to scoff at it. Instead of doing so, he'd grinned at you instead, slipping it onto his own wrist or tucking it into his pocket, patting the fabric happily. He gives you stolen gifts nearly every week, yet he's still all smiles and surprise whenever you give him anything of yours. "Must really love me" he'll tease you, claiming that the item will be his good luck charm whenever he's apart from you.

- Andrews a menace who likes to prompt you into action then tease you for doing what he'd essentially forced you to do in the first place: things like cuddling close to him when it's cold or squeezing past him when he's blocking the way. He also loves to joke about you "just wanting to put your hands on [him]" whenever you touch him in any way, smirking at you while you roll your eyes and/or tease him back. Don't be surprised if he makes cheeky comments towards you/about you in front of other people just to see them get all uncomfortable/awkward.

- The two of you have a lot of back and forth in your relationship. He likes banter; likes being kept on his toes, so he likes having a girl who can keep up with him and keep him in check. He also likes seeing you be all quick-witted with people outside of your relationship, it makes him proud to call you his girlfriend.

- He talks at you a lot, yammering on and on about nothing in particular, saying "you know?" after nearly every sentence even though he never waits for an answer. He's like a professor giving a lecture on respect and war and things of the like. Like an old man ranting about things that have changed since he was a kid. Sometimes you think he just likes hearing himself talk, other times, you think that talking to himself out loud; with you as an audience, helps him work through things in his head.

- It's not being on the run if you call it a road trip!

- Visiting nearby lakes whenever the two of you need to cool off; or potentially living near one if you decide to settle down someplace warm. Sometimes, after he's done exerting himself, he'll hose himself off or dump buckets of ice cold water over his head. You'll come over with a towel to dry his hair off for him; since every other part of him is hot enough to boil the water off itself, and when you ask if he's feeling better, he'll smile down at you and claim that he always feels better when you have your hands on him.

- Impromptu picnics. The two of you have all the time in the world; particularly when you're driving cross country, so you pull over whenever and wherever you want, eating and doing as you please.

- He likes stealing cars and speeding around in empty areas, doing donuts and going as fast as possible down long stretches of road.

"Let's see how fast this baby goes, eh?" He'll turn to you with a smile, and you'll just have to prepare yourself for a adrenaline filled, heart racing experience.

- Dates in the middle of nowhere. Gas stations, diners, random areas where you just camp out: they might not be places that normal people would consider proper dating spots, but neither of you have ever claimed to be normal; at least not since getting together.

- When the two of you want to have "normal" dates—bowling, mini golf, things of the like—he either breaks into the places you want to go, or scares everyone off so that the two of you can be alone. Once there's no one in sight, he acts all jovial and cheery, like he didn't just threaten to kill a room full of people just so that the two of you didn't have to be in a crowd/wait in line.

- Most of the time, you try to dissuade Andrew from leaving the house/car with you whenever you need to go anywhere; preferring to keep your deadly super soldier with a lust for violence safely away from the general public. But, sometimes he gives you no choice: wanting to be around you to keep an eye on you, or to take you someplace normal for a date, or even just to run errands with you because he's bored at home. Whenever you do take him out in public with you, he has a tendency to act concerningly extroverted, and while it might make you slightly nervous whenever he jovially interacts with random strangers, it's always a relief whenever things don't go south.

- That being said, there might be some slip ups every now and again: days where he attempts to intimidate people, acts loud and obnoxious/causes a scene, makes threats, or wordlessly "deals" with whoever's managed to get on his nerves; particularly whenever your back is turned. Thankfully, however, he usually listens to you whenever you tell him to stop, reluctantly releasing the persons shirt collar as you reprimand him and pull at his arm. He'll give them a devilish grin before he lets go, calling them lucky before turning to you with a casual "sorry baby" like he's committed some minor infraction. When it comes to him, you suppose that it counts as one; at least no one died....

- Though he'll refuse to admit it, rest assured that your boyfriend has attachment issues. He always needs to know where you're going and how long you'll be, and he hates having you out of his sight for longer than a few minutes. His behavior can seem somewhat controlling, but it's more about his fear of losing you than it is an urge to control you. It's hard for him to admit weakness so his nervousness can, occasionally, come off as aggression. He'll catch your arm as you go to leave and demand to know where you're going, telling you to be quick when what he really wants to say is "be careful".

- You had to temporarily cut contact with a lot of your friends and family while out on the run with Andrew, but you're able to reconnect with them once the two of you settle down. One of your friends doesn't like Andrew at all, and while you try to keep their disapproval of him a secret, your boyfriend finds out about it anyway.

- When they come to visit you for the first time, he manages to get them alone, and while he never directly accuses them of anything; never outwardly says that he knows that they've been trying to break the two of you up, he certainly alludes to it. He sits there like a cat ready to pounce and makes vague; oftentimes intimidating, comments about your relationship—about how much he loves you and how he doesn't know what he'd do if somebody tried to get between the two of you—and "jokes" about how he doesn't think that they like him very much.

- He'll act like nothings wrong when you finally come looking for them, cheerfully claiming that he was just showing your friend something outside, giving them a somewhat goading smile as he pulls you into his side. Your friend will remain silent, too scared to speak to the contrary, and they'll stay like that for the rest of the night. Though it'll be obvious that something happened between the two of them, you'll never find out exactly what that something was, and your friend will never bring Andrew up to you again....

- Though you'd likely move in together someplace else, if he ever had the chance to spend time in your personal place of residence, he'd make himself right at home, acting like he owns the place and everything in it. He lays in your bed, eats your food, uses your expensive shampoo, etc. He's a bastard, but at least he has the decency to clean himself up before he ruins all of your pretty belongings: chucking his boots off at the door, hosing himself off outside/showering right when he comes "home", etc. He likes to jokingly tell people that you would kill him if he tracked mud through the house.

- You liken loving Andrew to loving a reformed fighting dog. Time has turned him sweet, turned his claws dull and taught him to kiss instead of bite. He's gentle with you, gentle with his person, but there's always a violence that lingers beneath the surface, hungry and waiting. There's skills that he's never forgotten, there's triggers that've never gone away. He may never use his teeth on you, but he'll easily tear into somebody else and instantly remind you of what he once was and what he still is.

- It's in those moments that you're reminded of how comfortable you've grown in his love for you. You act like you're in charge, you yell at and give him hell, you order him around and expect him to obey. And for the most part he does. He listens because he cares and he takes your disrespect with a smile on his face, allowing you to act out and scold him without repercussion. Instead of calling you his person, he calls you his "old lady", and as Andrew would playfully put it: you "have [him] by the balls".

- Having a super soldier that needs the cold to survive, you'd likely choose to live somewhere with frosty weather. Because of this, you'll occasionally see him laying out in the snow with hardly any clothes on, looking like he's tanning on the beach instead of turning himself into a human popsicle. You'll bundle yourself up and join him outside, expecting him to say something sweet from the way that he's looking at you as you approach him, only for him to tell you that you look like the Michelin man.

"Too cold for you to be out here." He tells you halfheartedly as you settle down next to him.

"I think I'll be fine for a little while." You insist, enjoying his quiet company for the next few minutes.

"Your nose is all red." He interrupts the silence, trailing a finger down the feature. You grab his hand and pull it away, holding it in yours and resting them both in the space between you.

- Sitting out on your porch and watching the sunrise/sunset.

- Lounging on the couch together, watching VHS movies and television shows. That being said, he is the type of guy to have his own personal armchair.

- If you have cold hands, he'll develop a habit of grabbing them and putting them against his skin whenever he gets a little too warm: resting them against his heart, his neck, or his face. The chill doesn't last very long, since he's practically a heating pad, but it still soothes him and benefits you in the process.

- Sharing cold beers. Sometimes, when he goes to grab them from the fridge, he'll chuck a couple ice cubes into his mouth and crunch on them like they're a normal snack. You'll have to remind him to not do it around you if the sound of it drives you nuts; though he might occasionally do it anyway just to annoy you.

- This man can eat you out of house and home so keep that in mind whenever you go food shopping. Catch him guzzling a literal gallon of milk in the middle of the night, like damn man can you at least leave some for my morning coffee??

- He doesn't see a problem with using your toothbrush and/or drinking straight from the carton. Living through war ensured that very little is sacred to him: he's used to rations being scarce and having to do some arguably gross shit because of it. After practically swapping spit with several men in his platoon, doing the same with the woman he's been giving and getting head from is child's play.

- If you insist on learning to defend yourself, he'll put you through a makeshift bootcamp, making the experience as difficult as possible because he thinks it's kind of pointless. He's resolute in the fact that he'll always be there to protect you; and that you have no chance against any of his enemies anyway, so he'll put you through hell in an attempt to dissuade you from wanting to learn. If you think that seducing him will make him go easier on you, you're sorely mistaken: he'll play along before sweeping the rug out from under your feet, telling you to drop and give him twenty just as you think he's falling for it. "Had enough?" He'll question when you finally give up, kneeling in front of you as you lay in a heap on the ground. You'll nod your head tiredly and he'll demand that you give him a kiss before picking you up and carrying you inside.

- Asking him to teach you how to use a gun will earn you a suspicious once-over, but he'll ultimately agree: not like you can do much damage to him with one anyway. He'll set up some targets and come up behind you, wrapping himself around you as he teaches you what parts to move and how to aim and so on and so forth. Once you've got the gist, he'll stand back and watch you give it a go, hooting, hollering, and letting out proud "that's my girl"'s anytime you manage to actually hit whatever you're shooting at.

- Andrew keeps his old stuff in a lockbox. Where he keeps that box depends on how healed he is: the farther away it is, the more willing he is to let go of the past and begin to move on. If you ever got pregnant, you'd hear him digging in your yard late in the night; probably the same day that you told him. You'd discover the box gone soon after, buried deep in the Earth and away from prying eyes and curious little hands. He isn't ashamed of his old life, but it's certainly no place for a baby.

- Helping him through his PTSD. Even when he starts to get better, he'll still occasionally have flashbacks—only you'll be there too. Sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, he'll grab you and force you down low to the ground, barking at you to "keep your fucking head down before someone sees you". You'll have to recognize when there's an actual threat vs when he's reverting back to his old memories: have to recognize when it's best to listen to what he's telling you, or try to assure him that everything is alright.

- At one point or another, in one way or another, he's gonna make sure that you're bound in blood. Your blood, his blood, someone else's: it really doesn't matter whose it is, it just matters that it gets spilt. It's proof to him that you're serious, that you're not gonna leave and that you're not going to betray him. Although, even if you did betray him, he'd likely forgive you—as long as you could prove that it was an accident, or as long as you'd be willing to feel the same pain....

"Should have known you couldn't leave. We got too much history, you and me."

- Your aforementioned betrayal could come in many forms, but a physical betrayal is the one he'd respect the most. Stabbing him to get away from him or to buy somebody else some time to escape would be the most likely scenario; and the easiest for him to understand since he likely left you with very little choice. When you'd finally go back to him, claiming that you were sorry, he'd make you prove it to him by letting him stab you. So you'd stand there completely still, letting him press a knife against your torso, locking gazes with him until your eyes instinctively squeeze shut at the contact. You'd brace yourself for the pain but the pain would never come, and soon enough, the sharp tip of the blade would leave your skin completely.

"Welcome back, honey," He'd murmur as you slowly blink your eyes open in surprise, watching him put the weapon away before pressing a long kiss to your lips. "Next time I won't be so nice...."

- Andrew likes to show you off so he's not an inherently jealous person. He's fine with people finding you attractive, fine with you wearing whatever you want, and even with you jokingly flirting with people from time to time. But the moment people show too much interest in you, his amusement turns sour. He sobers up, straightens in his seat and turns accusatory. He verbally backs people into corners, confuses them into admitting things they don't even necessarily believe, and then uses their words as an excuse to threaten or attack them. If they're lucky, they escape with only a baffling and slightly frightening interaction weighing heavily on their minds. If they're not, they might not escape at all.

- People having the audacity to try and disrespect him has always amused him, but he never finds it funny whenever they try it with you. Sometimes he'll warn people to "try that one again" whenever they address you rudely; occasionally with a weapon pointed at them in a concerningly casual manner. Other times, he'll wordlessly beat them, prepared to kill them in an attempt to protect your honor. Unfortunately for everyone else in the world, he's always been more of an actions first, words later type of guy.

- The two of you have game plans for every situation you could possibly be in: where to meet if you get separated, what to do if you meet a certain person, etc. You're his everything so he wants to ensure that you're safe, and that he can always find you if something goes wrong.

- Andrews always been an "end of discussion" kind of guy. He leaves no room for argument whenever he's serious about something, and since he's the expert on survivalism and being a fugitive, you usually let him call the shots. When he isn't passionate abut something or convinced that he knows what's best for the two of you, he usually lets you win whatever argument you're having, wanting to stay in your good graces whenever he can.

- The first time you got mad at him, Andrew was amazed by how much you resembled an angry kitten. It made taking you seriously kind of difficult. But, even if he brushes off your attempts to act tough and start a fight, he'll still usually listen to you and correct himself in whatever way you'd wanted him to. The two of you don't fight very often but you do occasionally bicker, usually about silly things that neither of you care very much about.

- After an argument, he usually tries to kiss up to you. He'll sweet talk you, giving you teasing puppy dog faces as he wraps himself around you and/or caresses your skin. He'll tell you jokes, trying to get you to smile or make you laugh, make you loosen up and stop giving him the cold shoulder. He might not apologize, especially if he thinks he did the right thing, but he'll coo at you and tell you he loves you, claiming that whatever he did, he did it "for you". But, if you'd rather an insincere apology, he can give you one of those too.

- He says he loves you pretty often. Maybe not every day, but certainly enough; and usually with a peck on the lips.

- He likes to joke about making babies, but he's never fully joking....

- At the end of the day, Andrew wants a quiet little house away from all the noise. He wants the home, he wants the wife: he wants the domestic little slice of life that everyone promised him he'd have once his tour was up. If the war is really over like everyone says that it is, then he wants what's rightfully his: what was owed to him after years of combat, what he was fighting to come back to after all that time. Once he's sure that it's safe, he wants it all.