#PRISM Program

[right-agent]

i keep forgetting about this but here’s a fake poster a made

[taffy-glitch]

Thoughts on Prism? :)

um. hi can i help you (she just showed up on my mspaint canvas without being invited)

[critical-yeast]

Prism really has the vibe of “grad student who hasn’t been allowed to graduate because then the cheap labor is lost” lmao

[morganbritton132]

Me calling PRISM support like, helllllllllo, I have a problem. Because they refuse to fix my ability to delete people from routing lists

[thejesterconcept]

And they were BROOMmates

And they were roommaaaaates...

OG Ink belongs to comyet!!

[nando161mando]

With Firefox having AI added in the recent update. Here's how you can disable it.

Open about:config in your browser.Accept the Warning it gives.Search browser.ml and blank all values and set false where necessary as shown in the screenshot, anything that requires a numerical string can be set as 0 .Once you restart you should no longer see the Grey-ed out checkbox checked, and the AI chatbot disabled from ever functioning.

[jjmcquade-misc]

Conspiracy theories that turned out as true

Here is a list of theories that were initially labeled as conspiracy theories by the mass media but later turned out to be true:

MKUltra: A secret CIA program that conducted mind control experiments using LSD and other methods on unsuspecting individuals. Initially dismissed as a far-fetched conspiracy theory, its existence was later confirmed through declassified documents released in the 1970s, revealing the extent of the unethical experiments.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study: A U.S. Public Health Service experiment where hundreds of Black men with syphilis were left untreated to study the disease’s natural progression. Initially denied and considered a conspiracy theory, it was confirmed in 1972 after a whistleblower exposed the study, leading to widespread outrage and reforms in medical ethics.

Operation Snow White: A conspiracy orchestrated by the Church of Scientology to infiltrate U.S. government agencies and steal sensitive documents. Dismissed as an unlikely plot, it was proven true in the late 1970s when investigations led to the conviction of several Scientology members.

CIA’s Involvement in the Crack Cocaine Epidemic: Allegations that the CIA facilitated the spread of crack cocaine in the 1980s to fund covert operations were initially rejected as conspiracy theories. Investigative journalism, notably by Gary Webb in the 1990s, and subsequent inquiries confirmed some level of CIA complicity or negligence in drug trafficking networks.

NSA’s Mass Surveillance Program: Claims of widespread government surveillance of citizens were dismissed as paranoid theories until 2013, when Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing the NSA’s extensive PRISM program, confirming the scope of global surveillance activities.

FBI’s COINTELPRO Program: A secret FBI initiative to surveil, infiltrate, and disrupt political groups, including civil rights organizations, was initially denied and labeled a conspiracy theory. It was confirmed in 1971 after activists stole and released FBI documents exposing the program’s illegal activities.

Project Sunshine: A U.S. government project that collected tissue samples from deceased children without parental consent to study the effects of radioactive fallout. Initially dismissed as a gruesome conspiracy theory, it was later confirmed through declassified records in the 1990s.

Operation Mockingbird: A CIA effort to influence and control media outlets and journalists during the Cold War. Long considered a conspiracy theory, it was substantiated by declassified documents and congressional investigations in the 1970s, revealing the agency’s manipulation of public narratives.

CIA’s Involvement in the 1953 Iranian Coup: The CIA’s role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected government was initially denied and dismissed as a conspiracy theory. It was officially confirmed in 2013 when declassified documents detailed the agency’s collaboration with British intelligence.

FBI’s Spying on Martin Luther King Jr.: Allegations that the FBI surveilled and attempted to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. were initially rejected as conspiratorial. The program’s existence was confirmed in the 1970s through released documents, exposing the extent of the FBI’s efforts to undermine the civil rights leader.

These examples demonstrate that while many conspiracy theories lack evidence, some dismissed by the mass media have been validated over time through investigations, leaks, and declassified records, revealing hidden truths about government and institutional actions.

These are less obvious, often overlooked incidents that still carry the weight of confirmed conspiracies:

The Business Plot (1933) Okay, this one stretches just before the post-WWII mark, but it’s modern enough and obscure today. Rumors swirled that a group of wealthy American businessmen planned to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt and install a fascist regime. Marine Corps General Smedley Butler blew the whistle, claiming he’d been recruited to lead the coup. People dismissed it as a wild tale—until a congressional investigation confirmed there was indeed a plot. Big names like DuPont and J.P. Morgan were linked, though no one faced charges. It’s a chilling “what if” that doesn’t get much airtime today.

Operation Paperclip’s Darker Edges You might’ve heard of Operation Paperclip—the U.S. recruiting Nazi scientists after WWII—but the conspiracy angle is less known. Beyond the famous ones like Wernher von Braun, whispers persisted that war criminals with horrific pasts were smuggled in. The government insisted they were just harmless tech experts. Declassified files later showed otherwise: many were high-ranking Nazis whose records were scrubbed to dodge immigration laws. It’s not just about rockets; some worked on biological and chemical weapons projects, a detail that stayed buried for decades.

The Nayirah Testimony Hoax (1990) In the lead-up to the Gulf War, a girl named Nayirah testified to Congress that Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait were ripping babies from incubators and leaving them to die. It was a gut-wrenching story that helped justify military action. Skeptics called it propaganda, but they were shouted down—until it unraveled. Nayirah was the Kuwaiti ambassador’s daughter, coached by PR firm Hill & Knowlton (hired by Kuwait’s government) to sell the war. Investigative journalists exposed the lie, proving it was a fabricated conspiracy to sway opinion.

The CIA’s Heart Attack Gun (1970s) Ever hear rumors of a gun that could silently kill with no trace? In the ‘70s, people speculated the CIA had a dart gun that triggered heart attacks using frozen toxins. It sounded like James Bond nonsense—until the 1975 Church Committee hearings. The CIA fessed up: they’d built it. The dart dissolved in the body, leaving no evidence. It’s a spy gadget turned real, and while it’s niche, it’s not a household name like Snowden’s leaks.

The Ford Pinto Scandal (1970s) This one’s corporate, not governmental. Word got around that Ford knew their Pinto car could explode in rear-end crashes due to a faulty fuel tank. Ford denied it, insisting the car was safe. Then internal memos leaked: they’d calculated it was cheaper to settle lawsuits from burn victims than fix the design. Court cases confirmed it—a cold-blooded conspiracy of profit over lives. It’s a grim footnote in automotive history that doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves.

Project SHAMROCK (1940s–1970s) Before the NSA’s modern surveillance scandals, there were whispers they’d been snooping on Americans’ telegrams for years. Critics were labeled paranoid—until the Church Committee (again, busy folks) uncovered Project SHAMROCK. Starting in the ‘40s, the NSA collected millions of telegrams without warrants, sharing them with other agencies. It ran for decades before exposure in the ‘70s, a precursor to today’s privacy debates that’s faded from public chatter.

Bohemian Grove’s Real Rituals (Ongoing) For years, people murmured about Bohemian Grove—a secretive retreat in California where elites like politicians and CEOs allegedly held weird rituals, including mock sacrifices to an owl statue. It sounded absurd, a fever dream of conspiracy buffs. Then, in 2000, Alex Jones snuck in and filmed the “Cremation of Care” ceremony, proving it happens. The meetings are real; what they mean—powerful networking or something darker—is still up for debate. It’s not a headliner like Watergate, but it’s verified and eerie.

These cases flew under the radar compared to the big-name conspiracies, yet they all started as dismissed theories before evidence—documents, testimony, or footage—proved them true. They’re snapshots of modern history where secrecy and power collided, only to be dragged into the light later!

1. 9/11 and Government Foreknowledge (2001)

Initial Dismissal: After the September 11, 2001 attacks, claims that the U.S. government had prior knowledge or was complicit were widely rejected as baseless conspiracy theories by officials and mainstream media.

Later Validation: The 9/11 Commission Report (2004) revealed significant intelligence failures, including missed warnings from agencies like the FBI and CIA. While it didn’t prove intentional involvement, it confirmed that critical information was overlooked, lending some credibility to theories of negligence or mishandling.

2. Iraq War and Weapons of Mass Destruction (2003)

Initial Dismissal: Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the idea that the U.S. and its allies exaggerated or fabricated evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) to justify war was dismissed as anti-government propaganda.

Later Validation: The Iraq Survey Group report (2004) found no active WMD programs, and subsequent inquiries, like the U.K.’s Chilcot Report (2016), confirmed that intelligence was flawed or manipulated, validating the core claim that the war’s premise was shaky.

3. Mass Surveillance Programs (2013)

Initial Dismissal: For years, suggestions that governments were conducting widespread surveillance of citizens via technology were brushed off as paranoid delusions.

Later Validation: Edward Snowden’s 2013 leaks exposed programs like PRISM, run by the NSA, showing that the U.S. and other governments were monitoring communications on an unprecedented scale, confirming the reality of mass surveillance.

4. Financial Crisis and Banking Misconduct (2008)

Initial Dismissal: Before the 2008 financial crisis, theories that major banks were engaging in reckless or fraudulent practices—like predatory lending and creating risky financial products—were often dismissed as exaggerated or alarmist.

Later Validation: The crisis exposed widespread misconduct, with investigations and settlements (e.g., the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act and billions in fines) confirming that banks had indeed acted irresponsibly, validating earlier suspicions.

5. COVID-19 Lab Leak Hypothesis (2020)

Initial Dismissal: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the notion that the virus originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, was labeled a conspiracy theory and dismissed by many scientists, media outlets, and organizations like the WHO.

Later Validation: By 2021, intelligence reports and scientific discussions (e.g., U.S. government assessments and WHO revisits) deemed the lab leak a plausible scenario, shifting it from fringe theory to a legitimate hypothesis, though conclusive evidence is still lacking.

6. Social Media Manipulation and Data Misuse (2018)

Initial Dismissal: Claims that social media platforms like Facebook were exploiting user data for political or financial gain were often downplayed as speculative before 2018.

Later Validation: The Cambridge Analytica scandal (2018) revealed that data from millions of users was harvested without consent and used to influence elections, confirming that such manipulation was occurring on a large scale.

[neurotonic]

ok so, apparently I never posted THIS cutie patootie publicly. I kept telling myself I should post it but, well!! I forgor.

Anyways this is Crabicator, aka Crabby! Born from an idea where Fabricator realized Prism left some of her spare parts in her workshop. If Fabby was an outstanding Zoraxis employee (and she is. Or she's supposed to be.), she should've definitely thrown away those parts by now. Pointless scrap from an equally pointless engineer.

And somehow Fabby ends up with a mishmash of a robot in her workshop. More info about it below the cut because I rambled a bit HEH + some concept sketches on its design!

Crabby's functionality is a Bit limited when compared to Prism's dearest robots. It can't float properly and upgrades are a bit sparse. But Fabby did make some modifications to the kinesium core so that it doesn't have to overheat when it does a blasty blast. Also it Knows a little bit of bartending, but the only recipe it knows to make, like, properly is Water on the Rock. where the water is poured in a glass with one singular ice cube. And Fabby is very proud of it, thank you very much.

It also has jank memories of Prism's programming inside its head. It's barely comprehensible to it now, and it doesn't remember anything concrete. It makes Crabby wonder, sometimes, what Dr. Prism was really like. If she'd like to meet Crabby. Fabby doesn't seem to want to answer its questions about her.

Fabricator also claims it's a weapon of mass destruction but if we're being honest, she's just saying that so nobody in Zoraxis has a reason to throw it away. In reality crabby's like this:

also, some old concept sketches for different robot scrap combos, but the tripod crab won the baby vote.

also shout out to @the-valiant-valkyrie and @mothbeasts for giving me a hand in building this robuddy, no pun intended B)

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC: What Hobby Should You Begin Next? 🎨🛶📯

Sup y'all, it's time for a new pick a card reading (this one's especially for you night owls out there as I'm posting this at midnight lol). Ideally, I'd like to post one PAC every week after this but eh, lettuce see about that. 🥬👀

This pick a card was inspired by the remaining energies of late Taurus season. The grass is bright, the air is warm, the flowers are blooming, and it's brought out the artist in me. While I've been finishing a leisure painting, I stopped to draw out some cards to help out anyone who's in the mood to do something fun in their spare time but could use some direction or guidance.

Pick any one of the four Prism Oracle cards below, or its corresponding crystal/emoji, to see what hobby you could explore next, or if there is a hobby you enjoy that is calling for your attention:

Pile 1 - Consciousness + Moonstone 🌙 Pile 2 - Happiness + Carnelian 😊 Pile 3 - Creativity + Amethyst 🎉 Pile 4 - Determination + Citrine 🧭

Pile 1 - Consciousness + Moonstone 🌙

77 Beginnings, Sound+Resonance+Frequency, The Musician, Capricorn Rising - Aspire; Page of Swords, Page of Wands, 9 of Cups, Knight of Swords, XI Justice

Wow, pile 1, I think you have the most obvious answer of all four piles. You're very drawn to pursuing something musical. It could be in a variety of ways. You might try singing, writing a song, playing an instrument, learning to dance, or perform in musical theater (the purple curtain in the Justice card definitely brings theater to mind). You could enjoy collecting vinyl records, or producing music through special programs and apps. You may desire to publish your music online, or dream of going big on stage and signing major contracts with labels. Two Pages tells me you're most likely into more than one thing, as plenty of musical artists can multitask.

Your pile was the only one to get two Prism cards at first as Anxiety initially wanted to pop out. It's also clear that with two Pages and the Beginnings card, you're very new at this hobby. There's an over awareness of this fact, that on some level you may not know where to even start. There's some doubt I sense that you feel you can't be at the level you wish to stand on. Capricorn energy wants to reach for the very top of the ladder in accomplishment; it is a steady energy although not intent on settling. I get that there are many people here who greatly look up to an artist and wish to have their same talents. Try to look past the smoke and mirrors of all the top 40's singers and know that music is way more accessible than it's made to look.

Try embracing the newness of this pursuit, pile 1. It's okay to be a little lost, or feel that there's a long way to go. The only way to go pro is to start small and grow. There are a lot of free resources online for learning music (try out musictheory.net for free lessons) and free vocal technique lessons on Youtube. Some people are very lucky to have the chance to start learning at a young age, but if we were to set a rule stating that only those who did so could play, that would leave a lot of creative geniuses and successful musicians out of the frame. If you're learning to play the keyboard, practice one song or even one note at a time (doesn't have to be Chopsticks, lol). Consistency is key.

When the inspiration and joy to explore music finally strikes you, take the time to really dive in and make something small. If you're trying to write a song, start with a jingle. If it's music theory you want to go over, start with just 1 lesson and see how it feels. If you're learning to dance, begin with warm ups and slow music before working on the more intense songs. Are you looking for writing inspiration? Keep plenty of notes on hand and learn how to identify music so you can easily write a melody down (there are empty music notebooks for this). If this is something you would like to do in the long term, then continue to practice with that perspective by not overdoing it to compensate for "lost time". You are exactly where you need to be on your creative journey.

Pile 2 - Happiness + Carnelian 😊

66 The Selves, You Belong Here, The Wise One, Cancer Moon - Intuit; X Wheel of Fortune, Sagittarius ♐, VI The Lovers, 9 of Pentacles, XVI The Tower

What's going on, pile 2? With the Selves card above Sagittarius, I'm getting that a lot of you may be interested in pursuing theater or comedy, whether that's stand up or it's simply channeled through the projects you create. Your next hobby may involve incorporating a lot of humor into what you do. This pile is the most multifaceted of the four, with many differing hobbies, so I'm going to list a variety of different talents, but what binds them all together is the need to express one's own (very) strong opinions for the world to see.

You may want to be a photographer who documents unusual things, or write something that makes a powerful statement. There's a need here to let go of any of the anxieties that come with expressing your authentic self, because while those feelings are natural, listening to them too much will dampen your creative drive. This is the group that wants to make very surreal graffiti art or provocative dance routines. With the Tower card, here, I feel there's a need for the shock and awe to get your inspiration buzzing. On the gentler side, I can see some of you getting into something nature based like flower printing and permaculture but the caveat is that it's a reflection of your genuine self and beliefs in some way. With Wheel of Fortune, some of you may feel an urge to learn about tarot or pendulum reading, as these things are typically categorized as "unusual".

You may also get into traveling to stay involved in your hobby, or it requires roving about in some way. To break down creative blocks, it might help to actually move yourself to a different location. It doesn't necessarily involve moving to a whole new place, it could just refer to another part of your home or you may benefit from walking or dancing to decompress. I feel that moving your body will stimulate your creative ideas to flow through. A small number of you may have considered trying out extreme sports like free climbing or parkour. I don't really need to mention that these can be incredibly dangerous, so some of you may like something similar like skateboarding or gymnastics as well. It doesn't have to be intense, just active.

With the Lovers, there also exists a social aspect to your hobby. You may be drawn to share you hobby with a friend or with partners. It will greatly help you to be in an environment that supports your avant-garde tastes and not settle for less. It's not always easy to put shocking art with profound messages out there for the world to make sense of it, though some make it seem that way. It's easy to pretend that negative feedback doesn't get to you, but only accept constructive criticism as that will feed you more than shocked reactions. You cannot afford to have others in your life discourage you, as your skill sets require a lot of space for growth. Nourish relationships that want to celebrate your talents with you. Find a community that loves what you love, and wants to see you happy with what you do. Embrace the wild side of your artistic abilities.

Pile 3 - Creativity + Amethyst 🎉

54 Security, the Messenger, The Aspirant, Aries Sun - Assert; 2 of Pentacles, Knight of Wands, 0 The Fool, Aquarius ♒, Virgo ♍

Hello, pile 3. With the 2 of Pentacles, many of you may want to explore a hobby that is both online and offline, or the internet and social media are major components. If you like making artwork, you could be into digital art or simply want to upload images of your offline work for others to see. With Virgo, some of you may have a lot to say, by starting a blog or online journal documenting your life or interests, or you could try out freelance editing. If you were a youtuber, you could be really good at creating epically long videos about niche topics, or short videos explaining how to do a certain task (like tiktoks that showcase a person's routines and what cleaning products they recommend).

I see that this is the pile of innovation, as the Creativity card shows a lightbulb. You could have various ideas pop up in your head, only to feel unsure of how to approach them. Your attention span could split into a variety of different mediums for getting the idea out. Aquarius wants to take its genius energy and spread it around the world. For a lot of you, social media will support your ideas by broadcasting them. Your hobby may directly involve interfacing with others; your creative spark is not for hiding away. Web design, for example, is a hobby but it involves creating something that others will directly interact with. Your work is meant for a wide audience, should you choose to put yourself out there.

This may not always be easy for you, since there could be a pull towards more stable and predictable activities. There's a nervousness here, kind of like imposter syndrome. You may get a really cool idea for a mobile game app before you or someone else goes "but that's an unrealistic goal to spend so much time and effort on", followed by, "how could I ever make something like that?" The thing is, you can be the most talented, skilled, and experienced person when it comes to a subject, yet still have these same worries. Imposter syndrome doesn't magically go away with a college degree, a new job, or 10,000 subscribers. It's completely normal, but make sure to not let your doubts tempt you into doing something more boring and unfulfilling. This is the pile most likely to try a totally new hobby that is unrelated to your other skills, it doesn't have to be realistic.

But also understand that it can take time for something to get really good. Your first fiction draft is gonna turn out clunky, or your app could be filled with bugs, but it's part of the process. There's no perfect time; when you get the urge to try, just try it! Reach out to a local community or chat group so you can get a realistic sense of how long it takes for projects and skills develop. Slam poetry may be a great outlet, so if you'd like to do that, attend an open mic and see how others do it. You are allowed to be imperfect with your hobby--if you wish to evolve your craft, remember the passion and curiosity that brought you to it.

Pile 4 - Determination + Citrine 🧭

57 Spiritual Guide, What Goes Around Comes Around, The Astronomer, Taurus Rising - Enjoy; 9 of Pentacles, Cancer ♋, Queen of Swords, Knight of Wands, Knight of Swords

How's it going, pile 4? So this is the most active and possibly athletic pile we have here. Staying in the house is not gonna work because something is itching you to get out underneath the stars. Could some of you be majoring or planning in major in STEM? I'm getting a lot of natural science here. With the Astronomer card, you could want to use your telescope to go stargazing or visit planetariums. Are you still feeling the buzz from all the aurora storm and eclipse hype? It would not surprise me if these events awoke an interest for you and now you're looking up when the next meteor shower will show up or when Saturn will be most visible in the sky.

Your next hobby needs or is the outdoors on some level. But Cancer energy is that of a homebody. The most laidback people in this group may enjoy relaxing hobbies like birdwatching or gardening. These hobbies could be spiritually fulfilling for you. I'm seeing someone wearing an apron outside, so could some of you be interested in grilling or being the host to a fun party in the backyard. Do people even have book club meetings in gardens? A lot of enjoying nature is simply finding a good spot and soaking in the scenery with no other goal in mind. Just being near trees and beach sides might be enough.

But I see a lot of you mainly wish to have an adventure and go far out in nature when the weather's just right. You could be thinking about hiking or backpacking out on trails. It all depends on your comfort level as we all have different tolerance levels. I don't know if geocaching and pokemon go are still popular, but they can be unique ways to engage with the outdoors. You could try guided nature tours presented by nature conservationists like the National Audubon, where you can identify and take photos of animals as you wander through the woods and plains. You may like a hobby that is seasonally specific, like swimming in warm waters or skiing down a snowy mountain.

Your hobby may have you think deeply about how humans connect with nature, exploring the ecosystem and how our actions influence our environment. Climate change can be a very serious and, for some, directly impactful topic to mull over. Remind yourself that as long as you're respectful (leave no trace), mother nature enjoys your company as much as you do for her. A small few of you may have the urge to travel to weird locations. Two knights in your reading suggest boldness. If you decide to visit an abandoned or haunted place, Queen of Swords says to please be careful and follow rules if it says no trespassing, and remember that abandoned places can be dangerous from faulty wiring and unstable flooring. Overall, I feel this pile just can't do with an indoor hobby. You have the motivation and courage to explore the vast beautiful world out there. It awaits you.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2024, @VitaminseeTarot ™

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Every internet fight is a speech fight

THIS WEEKEND (November 8-10), I'll be in TUCSON, AZ: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

My latest Locus Magazine column is "Hard (Sovereignty) Cases Make Bad (Internet) Law," an attempt to cut through the knots we tie ourselves in when speech and national sovereignty collide online:

https://locusmag.com/2024/11/cory-doctorow-hard-sovereignty-cases-make-bad-internet-law/

This happens all the time. Indeed, the precipitating incident for my writing this column was someone commenting on the short-lived Brazilian court order blocking Twitter, opining that this was purely a matter of national sovereignty, with no speech dimension.

This is just profoundly wrong. Of course any rules about blocking a communications medium will have a free-speech dimension – how could it not? And of course any dispute relating to globe-spanning medium will have a national sovereignty dimension.

How could it not?

So if every internet fight is a speech fight and a sovereignty fight, which side should we root for? Here's my proposal: we should root for human rights.

In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that the US government was illegally wiretapping the whole world. They were able to do this because the world is dominated by US-based tech giants and they shipped all their data stateside for processing. These tech giants secretly colluded with the NSA to help them effect this illegal surveillance (the "Prism" program) – and then the NSA stabbed them in the back by running another program ("Upstream") where they spied on the tech giants without their knowledge.

After the Snowden revelations, countries around the world enacted "data localization" rules that required any company doing business within their borders to keep their residents' data on domestic servers. Obviously, this has a human rights dimension: keeping your people's data out of the hands of US spy agencies is an important way to defend their privacy rights. which are crucial to their speech rights (you can't speak freely if you're being spied on).

So when the EU, a largely democratic bloc, enacted data localization rules, they were harnessing national soveriegnty in service to human rights.

But the EU isn't the only place that enacted data-localization rules. Russia did the same thing. Once again, there's a strong national sovereignty case for doing this. Even in the 2010s, the US and Russia were hostile toward one another, and that hostility has only ramped up since. Russia didn't want its data stored on NSA-accessible servers for the same reason the USA wouldn't want all its' people's data stored in GRU-accessible servers.

But Russia has a significantly poorer human rights record than either the EU or the USA (note that none of these are paragons of respect for human rights). Russia's data-localization policy was motivated by a combination of legitimate national sovereignty concerns and the illegitimate desire to conduct domestic surveillance in order to identify and harass, jail, torture and murder dissidents.

When you put it this way, it's obvious that national sovereignty is important, but not as important as human rights, and when they come into conflict, we should side with human rights over sovereignty.

Some more examples: Thailand's lesse majeste rules prohibit criticism of their corrupt monarchy. Foreigners who help Thai people circumvent blocks on reportage of royal corruption are violating Thailand's national sovereignty, but they're upholding human rights:

https://www.vox.com/2020/1/24/21075149/king-thailand-maha-vajiralongkorn-facebook-video-tattoos

Saudi law prohibits criticism of the royal family; when foreigners help Saudi women's rights activists evade these prohibitions, we violate Saudi sovereignty, but uphold human rights:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55467414

In other words, "sovereignty, yes; but human rights even moreso."

Which brings me back to the precipitating incidents for the Locus column: the arrest of billionaire Telegram owner Pavel Durov in France, and the blocking of billionaire Elon Musk's Twitter in Brazil.

How do we make sense of these? Let's start with Durov. We still don't know exactly why the French government arrested him (legal systems descended from the Napoleonic Code are weird). But the arrest was at least partially motivated by a demand that Telegram conform with a French law requiring businesses to have a domestic agent to receive and act on takedown demands.

Not every takedown demand is good. When a lawyer for the Sackler family demanded that I take down criticism of his mass-murdering clients, that was illegitimate. But there is such a thing as a legitimate takedown: leaked financial information, child sex abuse material, nonconsensual pornography, true threats, etc, are all legitimate targets for takedown orders. Of course, it's not that simple. Even if we broadly agree that this stuff shouldn't be online, we don't necessarily agree whether something fits into one of these categories.

This is true even in categories with the brightest lines, like child sex abuse material:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-reinstates-napalm-girl-photo

And the other categories are far blurrier, like doxing:

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trump-camp-worked-with-musks-x-to

But just because not every takedown is a just one, it doesn't follow that every takedown is unjust. The idea that companies should have domestic agents in the countries where they operate isn't necessarily oppressive. If people who sell hamburgers from a street-corner have to register a designated contact with a regulator, why not someone who operates a telecoms network with 900m global users?

Of course, requirements to have a domestic contact can also be used as a prelude to human rights abuses. Countries that insist on a domestic rep are also implicitly demanding that the company place one of its employees or agents within reach of its police-force.

Just as data localization can be a way to improve human rights (by keeping data out of the hands of another country's lawless spy agencies) or to erode them (by keeping data within reach of your own country's lawless spy agencies), so can a requirement for a local agent be a way to preserve the rule of law (by establishing a conduit for legitimate takedowns) or a way to subvert it (by giving the government hostages they can use as leverage against companies who stick up for their users' rights).

In the case of Durov and Telegram, these issues are especially muddy. Telegram bills itself as an encrypted messaging app, but that's only sort of true. Telegram does not encrypt its group-chats, and even the encryption in its person-to-person messaging facility is hard to use and of dubious quality.

This is relevant because France – among many other governments – has waged a decades-long war against encrypted messaging, which is a wholly illegitimate goal. There is no way to make an encrypted messaging tool that works against bad guys (identity thieves, stalkers, corporate and foreign spies) but not against good guys (cops with legitimate warrants). Any effort to weaken end-to-end encrypted messaging creates broad, significant danger for every user of the affected service, all over the world. What's more, bans on end-to-end encrypted messaging tools can't stand on their own – they also have to include blocks of much of the useful internet, mandatory spyware on computers and mobile devices, and even more app-store-like control over which software you can install:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/05/theyre-still-trying-to-ban-cryptography/

So when the French state seizes Durov's person and demands that he establish the (pretty reasonable) minimum national presence needed to coordinate takedown requests, it can seem like this is a case where national sovereignty and human rights are broadly in accord.

But when you consider that Durov operates a (nominally) encrypted messaging tool that bears some resemblance to the kinds of messaging tools the French state has been trying to sabotage for decades, and continues to rail against, the human rights picture gets rather dim.

That is only slightly mitigated by the fact that Telegram's encryption is suspect, difficult to use, and not applied to the vast majority of the communications it serves. So where do we net out on this? In the Locus column, I sum things up this way:

Telegram should have a mechanism to comply with lawful takedown orders; and

those orders should respect human rights and the rule of law; and

Telegram should not backdoor its encryption, even if

the sovereign French state orders it to do so.

Sovereignty, sure, but human rights even moreso.

What about Musk? As with Durov in France, the Brazilian government demanded that Musk appoint a Brazilian representative to handle official takedown requests. Despite a recent bout of democratic backsliding under the previous regime, Brazil's current government is broadly favorable to human rights. There's no indication that Brazil would use an in-country representative as a hostage, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with requiring foreign firms doing business in your country to have domestic representatives.

Musk's response was typical: a lawless, arrogant attack on the judge who issued the blocking order, including thinly veiled incitements to violence.

The Brazilian state's response was multi-pronged. There was a national blocking order, and a threat to penalize Brazilians who used VPNs to circumvent the block. Both measures have obvious human rights implications. For one thing, the vast majority of Brazilians who use Twitter are engaged in the legitimate exercise of speech, and they were collateral damage in the dispute between Musk and Brazil.

More serious is the prohibition on VPNs, which represents a broad attack on privacy-enhancing technology with implications far beyond the Twitter matter. Worse still, a VPN ban can only be enforced with extremely invasive network surveillance and blocking orders to app stores and ISPs to restrict access to VPN tools. This is wholly disproportionate and illegitimate.

But that wasn't the only tactic the Brazilian state used. Brazilian corporate law is markedly different from US law, with fewer protections for limited liability for business owners. The Brazilian state claimed the right to fine Musk's other companies for Twitter's failure to comply with orders to nominate a domestic representative. Faced with fines against Spacex and Tesla, Musk caved.

In other words, Brazil had a legitimate national sovereignty interest in ordering Twitter to nominate a domestic agent, and they used a mix of somewhat illegitimate tactics (blocking orders), extremely illegitimate tactics (threats against VPN users) and totally legitimate tactics (fining Musk's other companies) to achieve these goals.

As I put it in the column:

Twitter should have a mechanism to comply with lawful takedown orders; and

those orders should respect human rights and the rule of law; and

banning Twitter is bad for the free speech rights of Twitter users in Brazil; and

banning VPNs is bad for all Brazilian internet users; and

it’s hard to see how a Twitter ban will be effective without bans on VPNs.

There's no such thing as an internet policy fight that isn't about national sovereignty and speech, and when the two collide, we should side with human rights over sovereignty. Sovereignty isn't a good unto itself – it's only a good to the extent that is used to promote human rights.

In other words: "Sovereignty, sure, but human rights even moreso."

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/2024/11/06/brazilian-blowout/#sovereignty-sure-but-human-rights-even-moreso

Image: © Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Border_Wall_at_Tijuana_and_San_Diego_Border.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[schhhwa]

In my humble opinion, Jeff hated the feelings he had for this self-driving little devil. This weakness did not allow him to enjoy his favorite activities, even such as killing people in the wilderness of country houses, it became routine for him. He brought the knife over the victims as if through a column of water and exhausted himself faster than usual each time. And BEN's presence made the situation worse, making Jeff even more nervous. God, no, he wasn't shaking like a little girl. He showed his temper, aggression, and impatience. BEN knew what was going on, he has an amazing ability to read people and see their actions through the prism of feelings and sensations. Therefore, Jeff's behavior was a game for him, as he had fun with a new technique that he had taken away from a new victim. At first, this was the case, before BEN himself became interested in getting deeper into the pale killer's head, even in the literal sense, which caused his body to glitch and disappear far into the codes of any programs. He didn't run away from his feelings like Jeff, but instead tricked Jeff into confessing his feelings (it was the best moment of his life, I guess, I mean, Jeff's reaction to being tricked should have been seen). Jeff didn't have to wait for BEN's answer.

[mawofthemagnetar]

I'm currently tinkering with a little project. It's to do with Mumbo's new lore. Here's a little sneak peek under the cut:

(CW: mentioned death, some unreality, and a bit of light cosmic horror.)

The stain on Mumbo’s kitchen wall was trying to talk to him again, and he turned away from it. 

“Please go away,” Mumbo sighed, “I’m busy.” 

It laughed at him, a distant rumbling noise. 

“I mean it,” Mumbo snapped, “I need to get to work. I’m gonna be late.” 

“Will you?” The stain rumbled, “Will you be late for work, Mumbo?”

“Yes. I will.” Mumbo snapped, spreading the last of his crunchy peanut butter on his toast, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go, or I’m gonna be late.”

“Since when did you work a job?” the stain said, and Mumbo spun to glare at it hatefully. 

It was an oily black thing, taller than Mumbo himself. Eyes swirled out of the stain, staring at him, as mouths full of jagged teeth smiled at him. Tendrils waved out of the stain, and it laughed. 

“I- I- stop asking stupid questions!” Mumbo snapped, “I work a job now, and that’s what matters.” 

“Does it?” the stain sing-songed, “Oh, what am I saying? I don’t care. Have a good day at work, Mumbo. Eat lots of food. I’ll eat you later.” 

“Shut up. You’re so full of it.” Mumbo snapped, turning his back on the stain and marching towards the door of his apartment. 

He slammed it behind himself before the stain could comment any further, and he set off on his short walk to work. 

Mumbo’s apartment was a minute’s slow stroll from his job. It was such a strange location for an office tower- two tall buildings in some kind of foggy moor. Damp foliage stretched away from him in all directions, small clumps of sad rain-soaked grass. The sky, and indeed, everything besides these two buildings, were shrouded in a dense fog. The empty parking lot had a road that presumably went somewhere- but Mumbo had never seen a single car pull up, ever. 

Whatever. There was probably some terribly important reason for him to be out here. The company was paying him well, too. 

He walked up to the boring white doors of the boring white office building. Both his apartment building and his office building were obnoxious white prisms on the landscape- both dotted with black windows, flush with the walls. 

Mumbo walked past the empty reception desk, through the empty waiting room. Everything was empty- no furniture, no paintings, nothing. He did think it was a bit strange, but whatever. 

Mumbo stepped into his small office, a windowless box with a comfortable chair, a large desk, a whiteboard, and a bookcase. This room was painted a warm yellow, with tons of decorations on the walls and ceilings- posters, a clock, and various pieces of abstract art. 

Mumbo put his briefcase down, and took a bite of his peanut butter on toast. He shucked his coat and hung it up on the back of his chair, sitting down in it and switching on his computer. He scarfed the rest of his breakfast as the machine booted up, and leaned forwards.

It opened straight to his desktop, no password required, and Mumbo raised an eyebrow. First there was his messaging client, which had its usual icon showing his tasks for the day- but now there was a new program in the middle of his desktop. Experimentally, he clicked on it, and then opened his messaging client. 

As the program loaded, Mumbo checked his new instructions from his supervisor. 

Hello Mumbo, the message read, your effort yesterday was exemplary. The picture-matching was extremely important work and we’re very pleased with it. 

Mumbo rolled his eyes. Yeah, yesterday had been weird. They’d sent him a giant folder full of pictures, and he’d been tasked to sort them all and describe the contents of each one. And they were the most inane things- smiling couples, ice cream, aircraft, redstone contraptions. 

All manner of weird things. It had been a useless, and childish, waste of his precious time. 

…But hey. Money was money, right?

He kept reading his new instructions. 

You’ve likely noticed the new program on your computer. Your new task for the day is to work through all the scenarios therein. Don’t stress too much about them- just use your best judgement, and write what you think is the most appropriate reaction. 

Mumbo raised an eyebrow. What the hell did that mean? 

The program finished opening, and Mumbo clicked the “Start” button. 

The screen filled with black, and white text appeared on it. 

SCENARIO ONE, it read, PLEASE READ THIS AND ALL FOLLOWING SCENARIOS CAREFULLY BEFORE RESPONDING.

Mumbo frowned as he read over it. 

A critically endangered bird, whose species only has ten surviving members, is drowning in a pool of oil. Beside the bird, a man is also drowning. He is the father of two young children, and is the breadwinner for his family. You are only able to save one. Which one should be saved? Please explain your reasoning. 

Mumbo blinked. What?

He opened his messaging client. 

<Mumbo> Hey! 

<Mumbo> I think something’s wrong with today’s task. Am I supposed to be doing the trolley problem or something?

He drummed his fingers on the table, and tugged his moustache nervously. This was…weird. 

His messaging client dinged, and Mumbo swallowed. 

<Supervisor> Of course! Don’t worry, your task for today is correct. 

<Mumbo> Are you sure? I’m going to be judged for what I say, aren’t I?

<Supervisor> No, not at all. Many other people are doing the same test at the same time. We’re trying to get a baseline for the tool we’re developing. Your help is very important! 

Mumbo swallowed. 

<Mumbo> Well

<Mumbo> I mean

<Mumbo> is it all going to be trolley problem stuff?

<Supervisor> not at all! Most of it will be problem-solving tasks and the like. 

<Mumbo> This feels more like you’re testing me than testing your new software, is all. 

<Supervisor> of course not! I can’t explain exactly what we’re doing due to confidentiality, but I assure you, you’re making huge strides in Mined’s development of life extension technologies.

Mumbo sighed. 

<Mumbo> Okay. I’ll get to it. Is it okay if I don’t finish everything today?

<Supervisor> You will. But if you don’t, that’s okay. Take your time. Try not to stress. 

Mumbo sighed, and opened the program up again.

Right. An endangered bird…or a father of two. Great. 

[genderenvykeefe]

Like yes, Kelvin is arrogant and self-righteous but god rewatching the tree house scene and just how excited he is talking to Keefe about the round table discussion and getting nominated. I think Kelvin genuinely enjoyed leading the youth program but there was an inherent barrier that didn’t allow him be his complete self at church as a youth pastor. I also think it represented this immaturity for him character-wise, his reluctance to grow up and accept who he is as an adult, as a whole person. So growing into this Prism role is important as is the acceptance he’s received from his family - notably Eli and from the church, gaining a whole new group of followers, of people who want to listen to him, who think he has something worthwhile to say, who aren’t children or teens going to youth programming bc their parents probably told them they had to. And perhaps most importantly, these new followers are like him, they are visibly queer and Kelvin has taken it upon himself to be their advocate in the church and in Christianity as a whole.

And every time Kelvin talks to Keefe while he does put up a bit of an overconfident front, he is genuine and sincere in his excitement and glee. This is important to him, this is something he’s probably wanted for a very long time that he didn’t think he’d ever get or be allowed to have. I also think Kelvin is an insecure man at the heart of it and he does plenty of showboating in front of Keefe to mask that. Keefe is the person that Kelvin is the most vulnerable with when he reaches a breaking point but a lot of time their interactions involve some level of mask on Kelvin’s part. Kelvin doesn’t want Keefe to see any lapse in his confidence, in his ability to lead, and when that lapse does occur Kelvin has pushed Keefe away.

Plus the flashbacks to Kelvin as a scared anxious child. It’ll be interesting to see what the next episode brings and what more insight we get into Kelvin’s psyche and childhood. It really is heartbreaking to see the juxtaposition of Kelvin in his treehouse - his safe space to Kelvin having a panic attack on live television after being attacked and publicly humiliated.

[19blackbutterfly97-blog]

Twisted Bonds - Part 8

Word Count: 3,359

Warnings: dub-con, fingering(f Rec), dirty talk(English&Russian), cursing, A/B/O dynamics

A.N.: Ngl, I think this is the best smut & smut related scene I've ever written! Anything in Russian with a * next to is translated at the end. I used Google translate so I apologize if anything is wrong. Feel free to correct me! Thank you guys again for the likes& reblogs!!!!

Divider by @k1ssyoursister (my first time using dividers if I tagged wrong please let me know! Thank you!!)

Twisted Bonds Masterlist

As promised, by Monday morning Tony had fixed Alice's computer and gifted her a second monitor for the inconvenience. She was overly pleased with the new set up and immersed herself in her programs. Gentle forest sounds filter in the room from her Bluetooth speaker in the corner. Her fingers tap along the keyboard to the rhythm of crickets chirping in the background. As usual, a pretzel stick is nestled between her teeth. The treat lost its salty flavor a while ago but the fixation forces her to leave it in place. It's early enough in the morning that everyone else is still sleeping. For once Alice is alone and in her element.

Her eyes are trained on a data report on one monitor. It's focus is the different alien species that the Avengers, Asgardians and Guardians of the Galaxy have come into contact with. It's a long list, even when she filtered out the non-hostile species. On the second monitor is a program designed to predict and pinpoint where an invasion could start. Ultron didn't work out the way Tony hoped it would. He at some point admitted there were flaws in its programming but with the recent threat looming on the world he was willing to put up with the possibility of human error. That's where Alice came in.

This is what she's trained for. Long, tedious work; the cases that require a careful eye and full attention. For Alice it's bliss, something to drown out the rest of the world while simultaneously being helpful. Something high stakes like this only makes her double down her efforts to figure out who, when and where.

The ominous threat arrived almost two months ago: EARTH BELONGS TO US.

It was an off world message that made even the usually stone faced Bucky falter for a moment. Nobody liked the idea of a hostile group landing on the planet and taking over. During her briefing Alice fought hard against her initial instincts to cower and hide. It was impressive to say the least when she latched onto the assignment and got to work.

The office door cracking open made Alice peek between the monitors to see who was up this early. A small smile pulled at her lips when she saw a very familiar metal arm reach through the door and flick on the scent blocker sat next to the door. It was well known that the scents of the pack could be distracting to Alice so she usually had it on during the day but she didn't bother with it when she snuck down earlier. Her heart swooned at the action; it's a subtle gesture that shows the super soldier cares. She snickered to herself when the door clicked shut again, leaving her to work in peace.

It's something she's noticed about Bucky. He doesn't show his heart to anyone and he doesn't vocalize his feelings. Bucky has a kaleidoscope personality. Beautiful shapes and colors that are ever changing depending on the person he's with. To most people he's a slate grey case but to those closest to him, he's a myriad of rainbows. Light refractions of his true self bouncing around prisms. Alice was one of the lucky few to get a peek at it. She often wonders if he's showing her parts of himself from the forties, before Hydra and the rest of the world shoved him into darkness and forgot about him.

Alice yawns and reaches for her coffee mug and checks the time, frowning when she finds the cup empty and that it's already eight. She knows most of the team is already awake and knowing her luck, so is Yelena. The sisters have been avoiding each other since their spat Saturday morning after Tony's party. Mostly because instead of giving Bucky his shirt back Alice kept it. The red Henley is nestled perfectly in her bed underneath a mound of pillows. It's the closest Alice has ever gotten to building a nest, let alone accepting anything from an Alpha. Yelena doesn't know but she's highly perceptive and Alice is a terrible liar. Alice knows they'll have to make up at some point because they now have to work together but they're not there yet.

Alice huffs a little and stands up, reaching her hands up to the ceiling to stretch out before grabbing her mug and walking out of her office. It's Sam's turn to cook and she'd never chance missing out on his eggs. It's silly but Sam makes scrambled eggs Gordon Ramsey style and they're perfect every time.

"Good morning everyone!" Alice chirps happily as she walks in the kitchen and beelines to make another cup of coffee.

Bucky hides a smile and slides over the vanilla caramel creamer, it’s her favorite and he knows it. "Hey, babydoll. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, thanks." Alice smiles and reaches to take the creamer, her face dropping when Steve grabs it instead.

"What time did you get up?"

"Uh... Three."

"How many of these have you already had?"

Alice rolls her eyes. "This would be my second."

"You need some water."

Bucky growls a little and snatches the carton from Steve and hands it back to Alice. "She's fine.” The men glare at each other for a moment while Alice looks between them, holding her breath. The tension in the room is thick enough to cut with a blunt spoon and everyone feels it. After a few more tense moments Alice’s scent sours which causes both of them to step back. An Omega in distress wasn’t what any of them wanted.

“Alright, eggs Gordon style and a big ass bottle of hot sauce for our favorite analyst!” Sam announced, trying to ease the stress in the room. It’s not working but “E” for effort, right? Alice goes shy again and slips past the Alphas who’re still in a silent stand off, abandoning her creamer and coffee mug on the counter. She takes the plate from Sam and moves to sit at the table between Nat and Clint. The group sits around the table, briefly forgetting their breakfasts while watching them.

It’s a joke with everyone that Bucky is the bionic staring machine. If looks could kill, his body count would be in the thousands. Steve has never been on the receiving end of his best friends glare so this is a new experience for him. A lot of things have tried to come between them but an Omega was never part of that equation. At least not until now.

Now, Bucky’s hidden territorial tendencies were pushing to the surface and he didn’t care that he was lowly growling at his best friend and pack lead. All he cared about was that Alice was taken care of.

“Gooood morning, drama club! Who’s got the brain cell today?” Tony laughs as he walks in and grabs a plate from Sam. “Whoa, who pissed off the super soldiers?”

“They did it to each other.” Nat says.

“Ah, of course. Let me guess, the little one fainted?” He chuckles around a bite of eggs.

Alice rolls her eyes and pours some hot sauce on her eggs and takes a bite. She didn't mind Tony but she did mind his now incessant teasing about the situation. It's been an ongoing theme in the tower since the party.

“Oh, for fucks sake. This again?” Yelena scoffs and pushes her way between the Alphas who've barely looked away from each other to this point. “Knock it off. You're both acting like knotheads. You're going to scare her and make her useless the rest of the day.” She grumbles and pushes them away before finishing making Alice's coffee.

“Hey! I resent that remark!” Alice protests.

“Please, you're a scaredy cat and such a bad liar. Here, drink.” Yelena shoves the mug in her hands and plops down next to Nat. “How's the research coming?”

Alice smiles a little and sips her drink. “Fine I guess. I was able to filter out and categorize the species that are most likely to attack us but I can't pinpoint exactly who sent the message. It's still decrypting.”

“So, basically, you have nothing?” Clint asks.

“I have more than you guys did two weeks ago.”

“Touché.”

“Don't you mean douché?” Tony chuckles, the others groan and roll their eyes except for Natasha who laughs along.

“How's training going?” Clint asks, steering the conversation back on track.

“We're not talking about training right now.” Bucky interjects, moving to stand behind Alice's chair like a dark, brooding shadow. “We need the intel more than we need another body on the field.”

“Weren't you the one that insisted she learned basic self defense?”

“I was and she did. So, now she can focus on whatever she needs to.”

For a moment Alice beams with pride as she checks an alert on her phone. Her face drops almost as fast as the fork in her hand. “Fuck! No, damnit Tony! Your computers are shit!” She hollers as she hops up and runs down the hall towards her office, leaving behind her breakfast. The team watches her for a moment before everyone except Bucky and Steve burst out laughing.

Steve rolls his eyes while Bucky stalked over to collect her plate and coffee. “She didn't even eat.” He grumbles before following her.

“Did he just-?” Wanda asks no one in particular.

“An Alpha doing Alpha things.” Nat chuckles, earning a glare from Steve. He had grown attached to Alice and suddenly found himself aggravated that Bucky was not only taking care of her, he was also receiving her attention. He of course just didn't know to what extent yet.

-

Again, Alice found herself sitting at her desk, nervously munching on a pretzel stick as she tries to retrieve the data her programs had retrieved earlier in the morning. She's thoroughly distracted and engrossed in her work, grumbling to herself as she digs through the encrypted files she managed to save before everything crashed. She's in a concentrated daze as she works, blocking out the rest of the world outside of her little office.

Bucky smirked and leaned against the doorframe, simply watching her for a moment. He could smell her stress and anxiety and the primal part of his brain wanted nothing more than to soothe her. He wasn't sure where exactly they stood with each other yet, while he liked Alice way more than he ever expected, he didn't want to move too fast and scare her. So far, the only people she seems to be comfortable with are Tony, Steve and Sam… and that's mostly just arguing with them. It wouldn't be the same with Bucky. Admittedly, he didn't want it to be.

Bucky wanted to play the long game. He wanted Alice as a Mate not just a play thing. He didn't want her pissed off or scared or in this case, anxious. Though this specific Omega being anxious had a certain… alluring quality. His eyes focused on the salty treat between her lips. My girl has an oral fixation, I’ll have to help with that sometime. He thinks to himself, feeling his knot come alive.

“That's not breakfast, Lil Bit.” He finally says, pushing off the door frame and setting the plate of eggs on the corner of her desk.

“As of right now it is.” She mumbles around the pretzel, not even sparing him a glance. Her brows furrow in frustration and annoyance as she forces the computer to restart.

Bucky grumbles a little and rounds the desk to stand behind her. He has no idea what he’s looking at while she clicks through menus upon the device’s start up but she’s close again which is all he wanted. Well and for Alice to finish her breakfast which judging by the soured hints on annoyance and frustration in her scent meant that it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon unless he made her. Bucky isn’t above playing mind games or pulling the Alpha card to get her to listen to him. He leans over her, his face in line with her own. His scent gland exposed and oozing leather and oil, invading Alice’s senses just enough to earn a glance. “Wanted to make sure you had your coffee.” He says, smirking at her.

“Thank you.” She breathes out, turning her head just enough to look at him.

He does the same, stormy eyes locking on and holding her attention. “You’re welcome, Lil Bit. I couldn’t let Steve win this one.” He says, wondering if she caught the double meaning to his statement. Bucky takes a few moments to hold her hostage in his unyielding stare, breathing in as much of her essence as he could. She just smelled like home to him and god did he want to feel at home again. “You gotta eat something.”

“I will in a minute.” She answers, her eyes flicking to his lips.

He shakes his head. “Now baby.”

“I’ll be okay.”

Her answer begets a low, throaty growl from him which sends a shiver down her spine and a fresh gush of slick to pool between her legs. He takes notice instantly, his eyes darken as he reaches a hand up to ghost over her collar bone. “Either you eat or I do.” He mutters as his hand lowers, still not touching but Alice can still feel the heat of his skin through her thin sweater.

“I- I have work to do.”

“No, you’re waiting for the computer to start up again.”

“Still part of my job description.”

“Yes, but,” his hand hovers at her stomach for a moment. “The computer doesn’t need attention. You do.”

“No I don’t.” She whines and tilts her head back to look at him.

“Is that so? My pretty girl doesn’t need any attention at all?” He taunts, his warm hands still ghosting over her but still not touching.

“No, I don’t… and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Oh, are you now?”

Alice squeaks out a yes and turns her head back to the computer, satisfied that it’s actually doing its job right now. “Well, would you look at that? Maybe I’m better at this IT thing than Stark.” She says with a little smirk, thinking that she’s getting out of everything else right now but of course Bucky has other plans.

He smirks as well and lets his hand finally drift down to touch her. The warm weight of his hand sits just over her pelvis. “Wrong answer, ‘Mega.”

Alice’s breath hitches and she tilts her head back with a dumbfounded, lustful look that she’s trying and failing to conceal. Her no-nonsense mask is cracked and they both know it. “D-don’t call me that.” She says in a weak voice.

“That’s what you’re concerned about right now?” She nods her head. “So damn cute, malyshka*.” He mutters, dipping his head to a line down her cheek to her neck.

Alice purrs at the contact but still resists. “Bucky… We can’t, not here.”

“Why not? It’s your office. Nobody’s coming in here, and even if somebody did decide to go across the hall they can’t smell us thanks to your lovely scent blocker device.”

“You have something against my blocker?”

“Only that I can’t smell you when I’m training, especially when I know you’re in here. Drives me nuts.”

“So your solution to that problem is what?”

Bucky smirks and leaves a wet, open mouthed kiss on her scent gland before his hand dives under the waistband of her pajama pants. His fingers expertly find her core and he starts tracing her bundle of nerves. The somewhat sudden intrusion causes Alice’s breath to hitch and her hands fly up to his arm, clinging to the muscles as if it’s the only thing keeping her in the chair. Another wave of slick pools gushes from her as her head tilts back. “Bucky…”

“Tell me to stop, malyshka.”

“No! Don’t please!” She whines and slowly starts to grind her hips against his hand.

Bucky lets out a dark, taunting chuckle and doubles his efforts. “Eto moya devushka*. You’re so worked up already.” He taunts, his hot breath fanning over her flushed skin.

Alice wines again in response. Her mind clouded with lust had already forgotten whatever assignment she’d given herself for the morning. Everything about this was all consuming for her. His touch, his scent, the dirty words in Russian growled in her ear.

Bucky himself could share the sentiment, lost in the lustful abyss formed in the little office. Her whimpers and moans played on repeat, bouncing off the walls, posing as a soundtrack to further his obsession. He knows that sex won’t fix his head, won’t make him feel complete, but the way she looks and sounds when he slips a finger in her heat could almost be enough to make him forget. Even if it’s for a little while. This is his Mate and he’s certain that it won’t take much convincing to get Alice on board with the idea. The image of this Omega, his Omega in his nest, surrounded by his scent, bearing his mark and eventually round with his pups is almost enough for him to pop his knot in the confines of his jeans. He’s hyper-focused on every inch of Alice. The way her lips part, letting out moans and soft spoken pleas, her brows pinch together as he edges her, even the small bead of sweat trailing down the valley of her breasts. She’s so close and he knows it but he’s a bit too much of a sadist to just let her have it. This is about her pleasure of course but he needs to know where her boundaries are. He wants to test her limits, find out what makes her tick. What’ll push her over the edge and beyond.

“Bucky please.” She whines again, louder this time.

Bucky smirks and sucks a hickey on her scent gland before pulling his face away just enough to look at it. A satisfied growl rips through his chest as his left hand comes up to wrap around her throat. He’s not using enough pressure to do anything, he just lets the cool metal rest against her heated skin. “Konchi dlya menya, krasotka.* C’mon Omega, I know you can do it.”

His voice is low and gravelly in Alice’s ear. Her body shakes as he adds another finger and doubles his efforts. His fingers curling and scissoring at a brutal pace, a squelching sound mingles with her moans as she finally breaks loose. Her head flings back against his shoulder as she lets out a loud, nearly pornographic moan. “Alpha!” Her orgasm ripping through her body harsh enough to blur her vision as her walls flutter around his fingers.

Bucky watches her with stars in his eyes, again analyzing every piece of her and filing the information away for later. His fingers slow but continue working her through it. “Takaya khoroshaya devochka. Takoy ideal'nyy dlya menya.* My pretty Omega.” He mutters, leaving soft kisses over her skin and slowly pulls his fingers out of her. He brings them to his mouth and makes a show of lapping up her juices, his eyes practically rolling back in his head. “Fuck… you taste so fuckin’ good, malyshka.”

Alice blushes, slumped back in her chair, watching him. She’s tuned into everything he says and does now. For once her mind is quiet from the usual static of her internal monologue screaming at her about the millions of things she has to do. All that matters right now is the Alpha in front of her and the quietness of her brain that his pleasure brought on. She’s tuned in but zoned out when he kneels down in front of her and says something. She’s not sure what it is until his right arm extends to his side and he snaps a couple times. “Talk to me, baby. You okay?”

Alice nods and flashes a subtle smile. “Mhm, just feel really, really good.”

Bucky huffs out a laugh. “Was that the first time you’ve ever…?”

“Hm? No, just… not to sound cliche or anything but it was the best one.”

That makes a prideful, cocky grin spread wide on Bucky’s face. “Oh, honey… If you thought that was good then we’re going to have a lot of fun together.”

*1: Malyshka- Baby/Babygirl.

*2: Eto moya devushka- That’s my girl.

*3: Konchi dlya menya, krasotka- cum for me, pretty girl.

*4: Takaya khoroshaya devochka. Takoy ideal'nyy dlya menya.- Such a good girl. So perfect for me.

[thenuclearmallard]

Number in letters

Small indigenous peoples are offered to preserve their speech

January 21, 2025

All methods of preserving and reviving endangered languages ​​used so far in Russia have not yielded results, stated participants of a forum dedicated to this problem in Krasnoyarsk. In their opinion, only the preservation of traditional forms of residence and management provides a guarantee for the continued existence of such languages. However, forum participants from among government representatives, the expert community and the indigenous peoples themselves agreed that the digital environment of indigenous peoples can help solve the problem.

In the middle of the last century, traditional farming guaranteed the preservation of native languages ​​for the inhabitants of the indigenous northern peoples

Photo: Gorshkov V. / Photo archive of the magazine "Ogonyok" / Kommersant

The scope of use of the languages ​​of indigenous minorities (IMN) of the North, Siberia and the Far East is gradually narrowing, which threatens their continued existence. This was discussed at the strategic session "Creating a digital environment for native languages ​​through the prism of technology and creative industries", which opened in Krasnoyarsk on January 21. It was organized by the Regional Association of Indigenous Minorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The list of indigenous minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation includes 40 ethnic groups. The largest of them are the Nenets, Evenks, Khanty, Evens, Chukchi and Mansi. Eight such peoples live in Krasnoyarsk Krai. The total number of indigenous minorities of Russia is 262.6 thousand people. The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

"It is very unfortunate that we have to acknowledge the threatening language situation among almost all the indigenous minorities of the North. Thus, among the modern Evenks, only a few families have survived in which their native language is passed on to their children, and these are mostly those families that continue to preserve their traditional way of life," complained the leader of the Evenk Association of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aleksandr Varlamov. In his opinion, the education system, which involves teaching children of indigenous minorities in boarding schools, does not ensure the continuity of language knowledge and traditional forms of economic management. "In the current state of affairs, it is quite expected that in the course of decades we will lose not only our native language, but also the last reindeer herders and hunters - the true guardians of ethnocultural traditions," he made a sad forecast.

A similar point of view was expressed by the professor of the Siberian Federal University, the famous historian and ethnographer Viktor Krivonogov.

“Having studied more than 30 peoples of Siberia, the Far East and foreign countries, I have not encountered a single fact where any people has preserved or revived their language,” he summed up the results of his 50 years of research work.

The scientist noted that this happened despite the implementation of numerous laws, programs and the “heroic work of teachers.”

According to the results of surveys conducted during scientific expeditions, the Soyots in the Republic of Buryatia have completely lost their fluency in their native language. Among the Tofalars in the Irkutsk Region and the Kets in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, this figure is less than 10%. Among the Krasnoyarsk Nganasans and Nenets, it is no more than 15%. Although, back in 1993-1994, almost 40% of the representatives of this people spoke Nganasan fluently. At the same time, according to Mr. Krivonogov, even among the Evenks of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, who can study their native language in middle and high school, the number of those who speak it fluently is decreasing. There are no such people left at all under the age of 19, and about 1% of those aged 19-29.

"The language is actually preserved only in the environment where traditional farming is practiced... If a child comes to school at the age of seven with his native Russian language, not knowing a single word in the Evenki language, can this language become his native language again? Of course not," Viktor Krivonogov named the reason for the loss of the native language. According to his data, at present only 5% of the representatives of the indigenous minorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory continue to roam the tundra. Among the Tundra Nenets, the proportion of those fluent in their native language reaches almost 100%.

“Due to various objective reasons, the young generation of indigenous peoples of the North is breaking away from the centuries-old occupations of their ancestors, losing their mother tongue, their customs and traditions,” confirmed Victoria Polikarenok, head of the Evenki nomadic kindergarten “Chipkan”.

The creation of a digital environment for indigenous languages ​​can help solve the language problem, believes Grigory Dyukarev, Commissioner for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Krasnoyarsk Krai. In particular, he suggested that the session participants initiate the introduction of programs for training "teachers of native language and computer science" in universities, as well as include in the program advanced training for teachers of native languages ​​and the use of digital technologies.

Sardana Sivtseva from the Arctic Capital company named the Ayana platform as an example of creating a digital environment. It is an offline version of an electronic translator of the Evenki language for nomadic schools and places with unstable mobile communications. "The project has found a continuation in Altai, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and other regions. We initially planned that after the Evenki language, other languages ​​would follow," she said, calling on specialists to create electronic explanatory dictionaries of the languages ​​of the indigenous minorities. During the session, a machine translator of the Mansi language, the Evenki language portal "Evengus" and a number of other projects were also presented.

"We will try this new method as well. Maybe it will work if the previous ones did not lead to significant changes," Viktor Krivonogov expressed hope, adding that the result of applying digitalization in this area will become clear "in about ten years."

Valery Lavsky