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ugh my room looks nice when I remove the MULTIPLE LAUNDRY BASKETS OF CRAP from my bookshelves, leaving only books. However! That! Is my crap!
That is a significant capital investment IN CRAP. Old mic, controllers, flight sticks, spare keyboards, bags of pokemon figurines, batteries, stickers, post-its, CRAP. Blank CDs, ripped CDs. Stores of emulation in potential laid in by past mbl against future hardship. HDDs.
I still read and daydream, but I MAKE videogame( asset)s, these days, I don’t have the same endless well of need to play them. Plus old games aren’t that great anyways—I’m glad to HAVE played them and been shaped by them, but if I’m really in trouble someday I don’t need to be able to emulate a PS2. Indie games and phone games (VRChat itself will eventually even be a damn phone game)—I should probably shed a lot of this hardware.
The REAL thing that should be done is properly install all the software for emulation on my backup pc, get all my backup hdds in place, get it all working, and then discard the old stuff. But that’s so much. I use that neural architecture for Blender and Unity now, not other teams-of-people’s lifeworks.
Other people can archive the video games… I think I should discard my old hardware of just video games. I will always be able to turn to video games in better times but it’s not worth unusable stores of physical crap that I will have to leave behind if eg I become homeless, versus stolen comics and ebook library that just needs any screen. I don’t NEED this STUFF. I’m not into weird enough stuff to personally need to hold on to piles of it. I can MAKE my OWN stuff. Stuff is other people. Maybe the real stuff is the people we meet along the way
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Telescope for NASA’s Roman Mission complete, delivered to Goddard
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is one giant step closer to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. The mission has now received its final major delivery: the Optical Telescope Assembly, which includes a 7.9-foot (2.4-meter) primary mirror, nine additional mirrors, and supporting structures and electronics. The assembly was delivered Nov. 7. to the largest clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where the observatory is being built.
The telescope will focus cosmic light and send it to Roman’s instruments, revealing many billions of objects strewn throughout space and time. Using the mission’s Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared camera, astronomers will survey the cosmos all the way from the outskirts of our solar system toward the edge of the observable universe. Scientists will use Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument to test new technologies for dimming host stars to image planets and dusty disks around them in far better detail than ever before.
“We have a top-notch telescope that’s well aligned and has great optical performance at the cold temperatures it will see in space,” said Bente Eegholm, optics lead for Roman’s Optical Telescope Assembly at NASA Goddard. “I am now looking forward to the next phase where the telescope and instruments will be put together to form the Roman observatory.”
Designed and built by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, the assembly incorporates key optics (including the primary mirror) that were made available to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office. The team at L3Harris then reshaped the mirror and built upon the inherited hardware to ensure it would meet Roman’s specifications for expansive, sensitive infrared observations.
“The telescope will be the foundation of all of the science Roman will do, so its design and performance are among the largest factors in the mission’s survey capability,” said Josh Abel, lead Optical Telescope Assembly systems engineer at NASA Goddard.
The team at Goddard worked closely with L3Harris to ensure these stringent requirements were met and that the telescope assembly will integrate smoothly into the rest of the Roman observatory.
The assembly’s design and performance will largely determine the quality of the mission’s results, so the manufacturing and testing processes were extremely rigorous. Each optical component was tested individually prior to being assembled and assessed together earlier this year. The tests helped ensure that the alignment of the telescope’s mirrors will change as expected when the telescope reaches its operating temperature in space.
Then, the telescope was put through tests simulating the extreme shaking and intense sound waves associated with launch. Engineers also made sure that tiny components called actuators, which will adjust some of the mirrors in space, move as predicted. And the team measured gases released from the assembly as it transitioned from normal air pressure to a vacuum –– the same phenomenon that has led astronauts to report that space smells gunpowdery or metallic. If not carefully controlled, these gases could contaminate the telescope or instruments.
Finally, the telescope underwent a month-long thermal vacuum test to ensure it will withstand the temperature and pressure environment of space. The team closely monitored it during cold operating conditions to ensure the telescope’s temperature will remain constant to within a fraction of a degree. Holding the temperature constant allows the telescope to remain in stable focus, making Roman’s high-resolution images consistently sharp. Nearly 100 heaters on the telescope will help keep all parts of it at a very stable temperature.
“It is very difficult to design and build a system to hold temperatures to such a tight stability, and the telescope performed exceptionally,” said Christine Cottingham, thermal lead for Roman’s Optical Telescope Assembly at NASA Goddard.
Now that the assembly has arrived at Goddard, it will be installed onto Roman’s Instrument Carrier, a structure that will keep the telescope and Roman’s two instruments optically aligned. The assembly’s electronics box –– essentially the telescope’s brain –– will be mounted within the spacecraft along with Roman’s other electronics.
With this milestone, Roman remains on track for launch by May 2027.
“Congratulations to the team on this stellar accomplishment!” said J. Scott Smith, the assembly’s telescope manager at NASA Goddard. “The completion of the telescope marks the end of an epoch and incredible journey for this team, and yet only a chapter in building Roman. The team’s efforts have advanced technology and ignited the imaginations of those who dream of exploring the stars.”
TOP IMAGE: Upon arrival at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the Optical Telescope Assembly for the agency's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was lifted out of the shipping fixture and placed with other mission hardware in Goddard's largest clean room. Now, it will be installed onto Roman's Instrument Carrier, a structure that will keep the telescope and Roman's two instruments optically aligned. The assembly's electronics box –– essentially the telescope's brain –– will be mounted within the spacecraft along with Roman's other electronics. Credit NASA/Chris Gunn
CENTRE IMAGE: In this photo, optical engineer Bente Eegholm inspects the surface of the primary mirror for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This 7.9-foot (2.4-meter) mirror is a major component of the Optical Telescope Assembly, which also contains nine additional mirrors and supporting structures and electronics. Credit NASA/Chris Gunn
BOTTOM IMAGE: This photo shows the Optical Telescope Assembly for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which was recently delivered to the largest clean room at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Credit NASA/Chris Gunn
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Hi there
Hey hello everyone.
I have not been super active lately (I’ve been kinda busy and life’s been a little crazy) BUT
I won’t leave you entirely empty handed. You guys voted for an OC ramble so Here you go!!!!
Because OMG I’m feral and they’re all I think about! There’s a LOT of info because I love them, and want to ramble so if you’re interested there’s more below the cut
SO let’s start with the main 4 I’ve had in my brain since I was like. 15
Meet the U.F.O.S.
What’s U.F.O.S. Stand for? Universal Freelance Operation Specialists ofc. They’re mercenaries! Got a job you need done? They do it no matter what star system or how dirty the job!
The team themselves are considered high level fugitives by the intergalactic administration (but that doesn't stop them from causing more chaos) and without even knowing they actually kick started the rebellion against the administration! Some people call them heroes while others call them criminals.
As for the actual members of the team:
◇Zai is always looking to get into trouble. He's the wild of the group and despite his cheery demeanor he's actually quite unpredicatble. He was rescued from an underground intergalactic fighting ring (similar to underground dog fighting rings) and most of those violent tendencies carried on with him. He was also outfitted with painful upgrades and augmentations intended to improve his battle abilities. He often avoids physical contact with people he doesn't know well but is rather touchy feely with the rest of the crew (especially Ango who he loves to pester). He's still relatively fresh from the underground fighting scene and still battles with night terrors and violent tendencies as a result
♧Ango is a techy guy who's last nerve is hanging by a thread. He's the brains of the operation and honestly is tired of always being the smartest one in the room. Despite being great with tech he doesn't really know how to deal with emotions well. Growing up emotions were never really rewarded in his family so he struggles to embrace things that involve feelings. He's the straight man and tries to keep things on track even though he often gets carried away himself. Defensive, prideful, and grumpy He's the perfect target for Zai's incessant pestering. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and values hard work above all else.He's on the intergalactic administration's top 10 most wanted list due his dangerous skill with tech and a rumored hacking fiasco that caused an uproar in the administration. His body is soft and stretchy like an earth slug but minus the slime so he's able to slip through small spaces with ease.
♡Gidget is a care taker/ accompanying android originally built to guard and take care of a rich aristocrats daughter. She was intended to be upgraded to an older looking model when the girl she cared for grew too old for a doll like companion. Eventually taking on the role of a personal nanny/bodyguard.However, Under a new intergalactic ruling AI as advanced as hers were dubbed sentient and were no longer allowed to be used as free labor. Not wanting to have to pay Gidget (or treat her like a person) she was cast out with the trash. After a few years of scraping by and repairing herself with scraps and spare parts she was taken in by Captain Mars and repaired by Ango before joining the U.F.O.S. Despite her small and cute stature she is actually equipped with borderline illegal high grade defense weaponry and combat programs and acts as the muscle of the group! Her toy like design makes most people mistake her for a child companion bot to which she angrily corrects that she is an unowned sentient AI. She struggles a lot with her self image, solely due to the fact her hardware doesnt match her software. Forever stuck looking like a child's toy and underestimated. Eventually in a failed mission Gidget gets damaged beyond repair. Luckily Ango is able to save her personality and memory chips and transplants them into a new body made custom for her. The Team missed her terribly for the few months it took to rebuild her.
♤A notorious Phantom thief and criminal Mastermind, Mars has been avoiding capture for years and has become a master at all kinds of things. She's bold, head strong, confident, and a jack of all trades. She's the one who formed the U.F.O.S. and is the heart of them all that keeps the team together and everything running like a well oiled machine She gets tired of Ango and Zai's antics (so she says) but adores her team. Their health, and happiness is her top priority. She considers the team to be her own family and treats them as such. With a powerful force of fire and dragon like features She's a force to be feared and a sight to behold. Her only known injury being the scar over her left eye and her tattered left ear. It's this very same scar that left her having a hard time trusting others, being very selective about who she lets close to her. Her past before she broke out of prison and formed the U.F.O.S. is shrouded in mystery. All anyone really knows is that she has a sister back on her home planet and that they don't get along well.
I've had the idea for the U.F.O.S. Webcomic for forever but i always had trouble nailing down a few plot points. The one thing thats never changed is the bond of the team being the main focus of the whole thing. A group of misfits who fit together, and who care about eachother more than anything else in the universe.
NEXT UP
Cybil and Sophie!!!!
☆Cybil Calaway
Cybil is a Half Siren, and lead singer and guitarist to a garage band in her home town (Here in the reference sheet provided she's 19). Unlike Sophie who attends the local private academy, Cybil attends the local highschool and has a reputation akin to the cliche "Bad girl" But the truth of the matter is Cybil is unapologetically herself, which a lot of locals consider to be rude or brash. She's a little blunt and sarcastic but has a big heart and cares deeply for those close to her. She's extremely passionate about music and writes all the song her band preforms. And despite her punk rock appearance, she's actually quite kind and often helps the members of her community wherever she can! She also helps her older siblings and her father at his grocery store.She has a total of 7 siblings, 2 of which have already moved out for college. One of her siblings is her twin sister Pheobe, who tragically dies in a car accident when they were 26. Cybil and Sophie broke up when they moved to different parts of the country but Cybil often remembers Sophie as one of her first great loves and the one that got away. After getting a degree in Musical composition Cybil wound up becoming the manager of her younger sister Aubrey's pop rock band and lead the band to great success! She and Aubrey both took a couple of years off from touring with the band to grieve Pheobe (and for Cybil to adjust to now taking care of Pheobe's daughter, Allison)
♡Sophie Delavigne is A rich werewolf girl who's a bit of a goody two shoes (She's 18 in the reference sheet).Except when she's with Cybil.
Despite being the poster child for a perfect, preppy, rich daughter, Sophie actually struggles a lot with identity issues. Having done whatever her family wanted of her growing up, now in her senior year of highschool she's in a panic trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to pursue in college. Upon meeting Cybil she slowly begins to find herself and enjoys the person she is when they're together. With Cybil's help Sophie realizes she wants to become a writer and possibly run her own publishing company!
Sophie has always had a friendly rivalry with her older sister Solene, and during their college years they competed to try and be named the next head of the family. Somewhere along the line Sophie gave up the competition to instead focus on her studies and personal goals, which is what lead to her sister taking over her father's company. After college Sophie slowly worked her way up the ladder. She was extremely upset when her father bought out the company she worked for (and she believes any future promotions will be her father's doing).
In my original idea for the webcomic they met in their senior year in highschool only to break up when they move to different colleges and then reconnect about 9 years later
And there you have it there's my oc info ramble for you
Feel free to ask me ANY questions im more than happy to ramble about them any time!! These are my main ocs but ive got plenty more
#starr stuff#my ocs#my oc art#my oc stuff#ocs#oc#original characters#my original characters#my original art#oc rambling#if it matters at all all of my ocs are gay ajdnakdnf#oc art#my blorbos#my babies#i love them so much#my art
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Cartel Protection
First Next Last Masterlist AO3
A/n
im not gunna lie guys this one took me way longer than i thought it was going too, so im hoping ill be able to post at least weekly on Sundays. hopefully more than once a week
also!! Im not going to embarrass myself or others with attempting to translate Spanish and i think for coherency and comprehension i am just going to stick to italicized typing to indicate Spanish
Thank you!
They found themselves alone on yet another airstrip. The chaos of the last mission washed away in cold base showers, and was forgotten over a basic meal with the remainder of their team. They had gotten orders that just Ghost with Soap and Badger were going off to Mexico to meet up with the Mexican special forces on another tip off that Hassan was there.
It was a relatively smooth ride in a cargo transport to Las Almas, and passed in as much silence as Soap could manage when he hadn't sprawled himself out on several of the wall seats to sleep.
They landed in the early hour of the morning, the sun was barely rising casting a golden hue upon the new airstrip as they walked down the ramp to meet a rather stoic looking man. As they stepped out of the hull of the plane Soap was first to acknowledge the man as the Commander of the Special forces that they are linking up with.
“Alejandro!”
“Sergeant MacTavish” his voice was deep, and gravelly, he seemed less stoic as he was speaking, he reached for Soap's hand in a shake. Soap met it with a mild smile as Ghost and Badger finished getting all the way down the ramp and joined them.
“Call me Soap, That's Badger” he nodded over his shoulder towards Badger who just nodded politely at the Colonel. Alejandro nodded and turned towards Ghost
“Lieutenant, Laswell says they call you Ghost”
“Actually, I believes he prefers to be --” Ghost turned sharply to Soap and interrupted him
“That’ll do.” Badger watched Soap’s face pinch up as he was foiled in his joke, he bumped his shoulder into Soaps as consolation before turning his attention back to Alejandro,
“Welcome to the City of Souls' ' He turned on his heel and started walking to the first truck in a small caravan on the airstrip.
“I've never been to Mexico” Soap took the lead following the colonel,
“This isn't México,” Alejandro raised his arms to gesture around them, highlighting the mountains lit up in gold and the slow moving clouds, a small smile graced his lips when he spoke again “This is Las Almas” it was home to him, that much was obvious to Badger.
“Shepherd's contractors are inbound for reinforcements. They’re bringing hardware, they'll need room.” and there is Ghost, always straight to the point.
“My base is your base.” Alejandro responded simply
“Good. Now, where’s Hassan?” Badger was a straightforward person but seemed to constantly be getting whiplash from the manner that Ghost spoke to people, he understood pleasantry always had their time and place, but maybe meeting an Ally for the first time was the time to use them regardless of how urgent their mission might be.
He was surprised that Alejandro took it in stride though instead of seeming off put by it,
“Cartel Safe-house, ten clicks from here.” they reached the truck, “get in.”
Ghost climbed in as Soap and Badger went to the other side, Soap stood dumbly for a second clearly trying to avoid the middle, Badger rolled his eyes and pushed him forward.
“Get in chatty Cathy, ain't got all day” Soap looked taken a back before another more rougher push got him going,
“Shut yer pus, im goin” He swatted at him as he climbed in and settled down with a huff, once Badger was in Soap seemed to purposely take up as much of his room as possible, Badger supposed it was only fair.
“C’mon, let's move!” Alejandro shouted to the rest of the caravan before climbing into his seat of the truck, he waves a head over to the driver, “This is my second in command, Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra.”
Rodolfo smiled and leaned over to Alejandro just slightly, a look of false concern crossed his face as he spoke to Alejandro, “I’m afraid of Ghosts” Alejandro snorts and swipes at his shoulder before pointing to the road for him to start moving, he turned over his shoulder and looked at the men piled into the back.
“You know Spanish?” Ghost just looked away, and Soap shook his head lightly and muttered a no, Badger raised his hands and made a so-so gesture and then looked up into the rearview mirror to catch Rodolfos gaze.
“Enough” Alejandro smiles at that before turning to Soap.
“You will”
The sun had fully risen by the time they made it to the colorful city of Las Almas, Badger was enraptured by the colors of the buildings and the vibrancy of the people. The city was bustling for the early hours of the day, the streets were lined with cars and people chatted in door frames and in shops. A white truck passed them in the opposite direction with four men in the back of it.
Badger hadn't realized how much Soap had pushed into his space till he felt rather than heard Soap call it out, and he had to grab his arm to keep him from going for his weapon. He saw Ghost tense as well and tossed him a look before Alejandro turned around looking annoyed.
“Hey- tranquilo. Easy-- that's normal here.” he waved his hands as he spoke “Guns on the street is the jurisdiction of the police.”
“Where are the police?” Ghost spoke up this time
“Well, Las almas has a very serious problem, there are few here to uphold the law. And many of those who resist corruption disappear.”
“What about the military?” the tone that Soap spoke in unsettled Badger, these guys were supposed to be allies, interrogating them seemed like the wrong move.
“Well, because we are well trained, soldiers are recruited by the narcos” he spoke off handley as if he hadn't noticed the change in tone and instead looked at them through the mirror again
"Why not you?” Ghost just barely avoided interrupting Alejandro, Badger tightened the forgotten grip on Soap before looking down at where he had grabbed his arm previously, Soap seemed to not have noticed that his grip lingered, Badger frowned slightly and tucked his hands back to himself and turned to look out the window again, watching the street go past.
He saw Alejandro lean back over towards Rodolfo and shrug his shoulders
“We grew up here, they call us Los Vaqueros” he smiled at Rodolfo again but turned to look back at Badger when he spoke up,
“Cowboys?”
“Si, Cowboys, we love this place. And we will die fighting for it.” That familiar warmth was back in his voice from the airstrip, Rodolfo seemed to share the same sentiment,
They drove past a street vendor at the corner of the street, it was a quaint little cart decorated with colorful cloth banners, Badger couldn't see what was being sold but did see the little family speaking with the vendor. He also saw the two armed men just a few steps away from the family. It was a stark contrast. Badger grunted when he felt almost the full weight of Soap pushing against him yet again as he tried to look out the window, Badger just looked over at Ghost with mild annoyance, he just rolled his eyes at him.
Soap started to lean back as they drove further away from them,
“Kids, guns and balloons. That's a new one.'' Again with the confronting tone, Badger elbowed him back into his place in the middle and swatted away a retaliatory hand and gave Soap a stern look.
“Narcos use generosity to win over the people” Alejandro was watching ahead as the traffic started to slow as it became backed up.
“Even the children?” Soap questioned.
“Especially the children.” It was Rodolfo that spoke this time, a slight glare reaching them from the mirror again, Soap had the decency to look a little sheepish. It was clear he was getting annoyed at the interrogation that Soap was putting up.
The traffic reached a standstill and they were stopped next to a taped off alleyway that had a truck and two bodies on the ground behind it covered by sheets that were covered in scrawling writing. Badger was mildly thankful that it was on the other side of the truck and extra thankful that Soap seemed to have enough common sense to not pull the same shit with Ghost, and instead just sits up more to look out the window without pressing into Ghost.
“What's on those sheets?”
“Nacromantras” Alejandro looked upset from the sight of the scene and it was reflected in his voice.
“Cartel Cloths” Rodolfo clarified for them “Messages from El Sin Nombre. Warning, marking territory.” The caravan started moving again, Alejandro shook his head in disgust
“Our streets are laced with death,” he said it like a curse before pointedly looking away from the scene.
“Who is Sin Nombre?” the misspoken name sounded rough from Ghost
“El Sin Nombre,” Alejandro corrects him, “the Nameless, the leader of the Las Almas Cartel”
“Where can we find him?” Soap spoke but then seemed distracted by a rather large mural that they started to drive by. It was painted on a three story house. It had what was clearly a symbol for the Las Almas Cartel painted directly in the middle surrounded by vibrate roses, motifs of the Madonna and guns, a banner was painted just below the symbol EL SIN NOMBRE filled the banner and just below that was likely more of the naromantras from the sheet but it passed to fast for Badger to be sure.
Alejandro was also caught by the mural, “ You can't, no one knows who he is. But he is everywhere and this a challenge” He turned back to Rodolfo and chuckled “But Los Vaqueros like Challenges” Rodolfo nodded back to Alejandro before he looked back through the mirror again looking back at Ghost specifically.
“With your mask, you'll fit in well here, Ghost” Badger stifled a smile as he watched Ghost slowly turn his attention to Rodolfo in the mirror, his eyes were like ice and he just stared. Rodolfo's smile faltered as he caught Soap making a “don't do that” hand motion
“Hey easy” Alejandro tried to comfort before being distracted by an upcoming checkpoint, “Checkpoint, Its the Army, turn right, we’ll go around”
Soap pursed his lips in confusion before leaning forward to question as the took the turn down a narrower road,
“Why?”
“Some troops are in the pocket of El Sin Nombre, like I told you. He is Everywhere” Alejandro looked frustrated, leaning back to speak to them “cartel is hiding Hassan in the Village across the river, let's hope he's still there”
The road they took turned into something that could barely be called a road, mostly just packed dirt from frequent use. They remained in silence for a while, badger was messing with his comm unit, pinning the ear piece into place and then started to mess with the inputs on the unit. He looked up and started to ask for the right input so their comms would all be linked but Alejandro had caught on to what he was doing and without having to ask to read off the correct codes to join their systems.
Badger fixed Soaps comms to the right settings as well and watched over as Ghost adjusted his.
They parked just outside of the village, Soap Ghost and Alejandro stepped out first and went to grab kits from the back of the truck, Badger was stepping down out of the truck when Rodolfo spoke to him, he was adjusting his comms unit as well.
“I would’ve thought someone with the name Badger would be asking all the questions”
Badger looked back at him a little sheepish, he had noticed how much all of Soap's questions had bothered both of them, and while Rodolfo was better at hiding it than Alejandro it was still evident even if Soap hadn't noticed. Or cared.
“Badger for a different reason,” He looked over at him before he collected is own kit “sorry to disappoint” Rodolfo just patted his shoulder before heading over to Alejandro, who had just called for all the team leaders to circle up on him.
“Where are they holding Hassan?” Soap joined them in the circle with Ghost right behind him.
“White two story building, back of town” Alejandro fist bumps Rodolfo before pointing off towards a gate that seemed to lead into the town, and with a wave of his hand Alejandro leads them off towards the town, as Rodolfo takes his team off a different way.
They gather around the gate, Alejandro has bracketed himself to breach the door and coordinates over the comms with Rodolfo's team.
This town lacked the colors that Las Almas had; the buildings were all browns, whites and oranges, they all seemed beaten down and in disrepair. It also lacked the people that las almas had, there wasn't just less people here there was no people here and it left the town eerily quiet
“Where are the civilians?’ Soap spoke up as he walked past a window that was broken peeping his head inside as they passed
“Gone, Cartel took over people left, it's a hideout now”
“Good place to keep Hassan then”
They approached another black gate and could hear the cartel men clamoring around as they started to notice the breach into the town, this gate was left partially open. Ghost pushed it further open and Alejandro went guns blazing through the gate with Soap and Badger behind on his heels.
There was a brick building to their right as they burst through the gate and a white building down at the end of the slope little more than a hovel. Cartelmen used them for cover trying to avoid the hellstorm that was Alejandro's team. It was easy to clear them, they wore little for protection and seemed to only have rudimentary grasp on their weapons. Alejandro ordered a push forward. The man called Rodriguez moved with them as they pushed further into the town and into an ally.
Badger crossed the ally fast and took cover behind the white building, Soap cleared the final man from inside as they moved. More firing from further up the ally. Three more cartelmen dropped from their fire. He called another push up and made a break for a set of cement stairs and just barely took cover fast enough to be missed by incoming fire that broke up the brick wall behind him into pebbles.
Alejandro was pinned down behind the stairs unable to make anything other than blind return fire, Soap had pushed past Badger and peaked from the corner of the building into the alley way, took aim and downed the final cartelman. He called clear
"Secure this house, then we go for Hassan” Alejandro ordered as he got up from his spot behind the stairs, he pointed to the orange brick house that ended the alley in a dead end.
“Cartel will move him fast.” Ghost protested as he also came out from his cover behind an abandoned cupboard against the wall behind them, he had taken rearguard with Rodriguez,
“Then we move faster” Alejandro moved up to the teal door of the house, crouched low waiting to enter as soon as the door was breached. Badger moved to the door and waited for his signal to break it down.
The door almost shattered as he kicked it down, it was much thinner than he expected so he almost tipped into the room had Ghost not pulled back on his vest roughly settling him back on two solid feet before He Soap and Alejandro burst into the house, clearing it as they went. Badger and Rodriguez held rear guard until Clear was called again.
They joined them in the house, which was low ceilinged, dark and now littered with dead men, a great sight to be in a forgotten child bedroom.
“What happened to the families here?” Badger asked as he entered the kitchen area
“The cartels bring violence, so they leave '' he was short with his answer, gruff it was clear the lack of control he had on the cartels upset him greatly. “Lets go, get ready to move”
Soap takes the lead to the door in the kitchen that goes to the outside, Soap made a show of using the deadbolt to unlock the door, tossing a ”see its simple” look to Badger as he started to open the door, Alejandro’s hand pushed the door shut, and pointed out the window “Stand By. Victor-2 this 1-1, Deploy smoke. We’re moving external”
“Copy, smoke out” Rudy called back over the comms and the plunging of smoke canisters could be heard as they struck the ground and slowly filing the atmosphere with cover
Soap broke the silence that had comfortably fallen as they took the second to prepare for rushing the next house.
“Where’s your Family? Alejandro?” Badger snapped his attention to him, eyes slightly wide and a grimace set in place. The man simply didn't think before he spoke. He flicked his eyes over to Ghost where he stood watch at a window. Ghost didn't seem to care about Soaps dumbassery and just rolled his eyes when Badger looked over.
Alejandro took a deep breath before he spoke.
“I keep that a secret, hermano, to protect them.” it came out stern but not angry much to Badger's surprise. He watched as Soap opened his mouth to speak again, but was thankfully cut off by Ghost.
“We have concealment”
“Let's Move, on me Soap” Alejandro clasped Soap on the shoulder, removing the hand he had blocking the door. The moment it was open Alejandro took off towards the large two story house just across the courtyard.
The door was broken into with ease and the first floor was cleared too easily, there was an unsettling lack of resistance for a house that was supposed to contain Hassan. It set Badger on edge.
“Clear! No Hassan!” Alejandro calls out as he moves towards the stairs,
“Second deck” Ghost orders as he makes his way up towards the loft, the rest of the team in tow. It was also cleared in seconds. Alejandro cursed as it became obvious they missed Hassan.
The house was littered with dead men and weapons, it also was strewn with dolls and other toys, a kids bike was broken on the floor in the kitchen, the bedrooms had been decorated in accordance to those that had previously lived here, those that had clearly left the house in a hurry as boxes that had likely been hastily packed laid turned over just about everywhere you looked.
When Badger made it back up to the loft, Ghost was looking through files on the desk, Alejandro Soap and Rodriguez were discussing Hassan and the intel that they operated on. Badger went to the big bay windows and found a photo of the family that had lived here toppled over, he had bent down to pick it up when movement up on the roads caught his eye.
A Caravan was rolling into the village, and fast. They were tearing up the roads and kicking dirt into the air behind them. Badger sat back up quickly, the speed of the action grabbed the attention of the others, he was about to speak when Rodolfos voice broke over the comms.
“Commander! Army is rolling in!” Fucking hell this was going to be bad.
“Shit”
Ghost looked up from the paperwork on the desk to Badger, “What is it?”
Alejandro answered for him. “The Army”
Soap joined him at the window to look out to the ever closing Mexican Army Transport. He looked confused.
“We’ve got reinforcements”
“Negative.” Alejandro sounded grim. “0-3, fall back, fall back”
“Copy that”
Ghost caught on quick and stepped away from the desk and took up a spot couched in front of one the bay windows. “What’re we doing?”
“Covering my men,” Alejandro waved up to Rodriguez to block the entrance of the loft, dragging a shelf over to the door, and pushing the couch against that. “Once they’re clear, we fall back”
Soap was taken aback “You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?!” He had stepped close enough to Badger that he grabbed him and pulled him down so that he wasn't standing dumbly in front of the large windows and nearly growled at him.
“Didn't you hear a single thing he said in the truck Soap? That not the fuckin army thats the cartel payroll.” He roughly pushed him back as he let go and went back to leveling off the trucks in his scope. Soap flushed red, and a dumb ‘oh’ dropped from his lips before he managed to remember himself and join them in targeting the caravan.
“Hold your fire, we dig in until my men are clear”
“Multiple vehicles, troops transport, light armor” Ghost calls out
“Hold fire, let them get close”
One of the trucks launched a large smoke canister, blocking them from seeing when and where the caravan stopped, but they saw troops emerge from the smoke with shields and take aim at the house. They have mere seconds to turn away from the windows before they're rained upon by glass shards as the windows are shot out above them. Alejandro called for weapons free.
The room thundered with fire, and it made moving for any extra cover nearly impossible. The few shots he was able to get in after getting up from his low crouch seemed to do nothing.
“They’re Armoured,” Soap shouted in annoyance.
“Target the helmets, they're weak”
“They’re using shields” Ghost shouted over the clamour as a well, it was clear that they were doing little to minimize the amount of combatants against them, the simply had to pull the fire away from Rodolfos squad and hope they could last long enough. Badger watched as shards of wood ripped away from the walls from the incoming fire, and cursed. It was quite a bind. They started falling back from the windows and just sought cover.
“Commander, we're clear!” oh thank the light, they can start moving from this deathtrap.
“copy ! rally at the safehouse!” Alejandro orders before turning to them “lets get the hell out of here!” He popped up from his spot in the corner and made for a shuttered window, tossed it open and hoped down and slid off the roof onto the ground and took off like a bat out of hell to a path that led down the ridge. Rodriguez followed with the same grace, then Soap. Badger rather fell from the window than slid but still took off the same as Ghost reached the ground and followed.
“Down the hill! We’ll lose them in the mountains!” Alejandro shouted over his shoulder as they raced to catch up with him. “Fan out and stay close”
It was like everyone just had the ability to melt into the forest with how quick he seemed to lose everyone and he hoped that he didn't get lost. Shots fired down from above tossing up small handfuls of dirt as high velocity rounds stuck the earth by their feet rather than them.
The army had caught up. They jumped off a steep boulder and rolled behind cover, turned and returned the fire. Rodriguez went down with a shout. He was nearby. Badger looked around and saw him face down a few paces away, He ran over to him and looked him over.
“You're fine, let's get you up boyo” Badger pulled him up against the boulder they now shared as the rest of the team was trying to clear the army. Rodriguez groaned in protest of moving. “It hit your back plate, it'll bruise” Rodriguez nodded and tried to calm his breathing for a moment. The firing came to a sudden stop and they were hauling ass again, Badger tried to stay with Rodriguez to give him extra cover, he was slowly lagging behind.
“You know these trails?” Soap called out to Alejandro as he took the lead,
“Very well, but do does the army”
“Cant hold off the Army. We need extraction”
“Rodriguez! Call for extraction!” Alejandro ordered, they stayed closer this time as they dropped down the hillside, more than once Badger crashed down off rock faces compared to the grace and Alejandro and Ghost demonstrated.
“Contact!”
Fire rained from above again as they tried to find over, Badger pulled them behind a larger rock again and took up fire as Rodriguez crouched low, tucking himself into the cover between Badger and the rock, fiddling with his coms trying desperately to reach Rodolfo.
“Control, victor 1 request immediate extraction at Soul River Bridge, How to copy?” he was shouting into the comms.
The fire stopped again and badger pulled him up and kept him in front of him as they ran again down the hill, he continued to shout into the comms with no response
“Rodriguez where are we with comms?”
“Mountains blocking out comms!” Rodriguez called back.
“Your man got the call out?” Ghost questioned as they slid down a slope a bit further
“Let's hope so” Alejandro laughed a little,
“What's the plan then?” Soap jumped down a boulder next to where Badger and Rodriguez were moving and he joined them.
“There is a bridge at the river. Extraction will be there.” Alejandro explained to them as he looked for a specific path to lead them down.
They reached a steep drop, Badger threw himself down it and rolled out of his fall in front of a tree when it exploded with an RPG. the force of it shattered the tree throwing shards of wood back at Badger, a shard struck him before he could cover. He was bleeding from the hairline, with a curse he stood back up and continued forward wiping roughly at his forehead.
“Anyone hit?” Alejandro called out from cover as he was firing up the ridgeline, everyone called out a negative from where they stood firing hoping desperately that the onslaught of men would end. Eventually it did.
They seemed to be running out of places to run as the clift side seemed to come nearer, Alejandro stopped abruptly at the edge and looked back towards them,
“We have to jump here” Soap reached the ledge and looked over it down to something unseen by Badger.
“Can we even make that?” Badger paled slightly at the comment of the unseen ledge and looked over to Soap and then back to Alejandro
“Are you serious?” It took a lot to keep the nervousness from his voice, it was one thing to jump from a plane and another to jump from good solid ground. If a parachute failed when jumping it was just a rush that ended quickly, who knows if he misses if the fall will kill him.
“Do or Die hermano” Alejandro tossed over his shoulder as he jumped, Badger made it up to the ledge to watch him fall down and slide across a very far and very thin outcropping from the clift, and watch him pop up and jump to an even further outcropping that rounded around the cliff face.
Soap followed bravely and executed flawlessly, Rodrigues followed with the confidence of someone who's done it a million times. Badger steeled himself and took a step back to give himself momentum for when he jumped down,
He hit solidly and slid down the rough ground of the slope, and just barely managed to get his feet back under him for the second platform, of which he rolled onto and slapped softly into the stone wall. He heard Soap make a small sound of surprise when the other two on the platform let out a small snicker at his less than graceful execution.
Ghost perusal just seemed to appear silently and unbothered as he crouched down, weapon in and and scanned the tree lines for snipers.
“Where to, Alejandro?” Soap asked from his watch position.
“Soap push forwards, Rodriguez keep trying on the comms, the rest of you watch for snipers” Badger settled down in front of Rodriguez’s position and turned outwards towards the tree line mirroring Ghost who was a few paces away from him. “Soap, use that ledge there will be a way up the mountain”
Soap disappeared out of sight with a grunt as he presumably jumped to whatever ledge that Alejandro pointed out. Badger could hear Rodriguez speaking into the comms again as he and Ghost looked for the tell tale gleam of a scope or barrel in the sunlight.
“Got anything?” Badger questioned over to Ghost who just grunted a negative in response.
“They’re out there, believe me”
“control , this is victor-1, do you read me?” Rodriguez sounded desperate as he looked back up to where he knew the Army was, the action made him look incredibly young and it struck something in Badger. He's quickly distracted though as Soap calls that he's found a way up the mountain, as they are just finishing getting up the steep cliff face Ghost spots a Helicopter with a curse.
“Get to a firing position. We’ll take them by surprise” Alejandro confirms the heli sighting and helps direct them back into cover.
“Which way is the bridge?” Ghost asks as he pulls himself up last from the final ledge, following them closely.
“Straight ahead. Past the helo” he paused a moment in thought “they'll try to cut us off”
“Grand” the sarcastic excitement sounded wrong coming from Badger “then I guess we’re goin through them”
It was almost like he called for them to appear with how fast the Army dropped down from an up ahead ridge and immediately took to firing upon them. But they made it easy for them to return fire. The sun was to their advantage, casting their hiding spots into deep shadows and lit the ridge and boulders they took to walking on in bright golden light that simply begged for them to shoot the brains out of anyone who stepped too far forwards.
The inched their way up in the shadows creeping closer and closer to the remaining army troops that had been smart enough to attempt to find cover, even if it wasn't successful. Ghost shot the last man on the ridge and called clear. It was a right mess on the boulders that they had to climb to get to the bridge.
They pushed up the hill and Alejandro called out that the bridge wasn't too far; they entered the top of the hill. It was gorgeous up there, and had they not been running for their lives from the Mexican Army Badger would have stopped to just absorb the landscape. It was towering mountains and the sun hit just right to light up a thin waterfall that casted a shimmer around it.
Alejandro warned them about hidden shooters.
“There's the bridge”
“No visual on extraction” a curse ripped from Rodriguez that Badger didn't know but knew it as colorful from the bits he understood, he watched him take a calming breath though turn towards Ghost.
“Comms didn't get through” Badger clasped him on the shoulders and gave him what he hoped was a comforting look.
“We’ll radio when we get down there” Alejandro waved them forwards and dropped an extremely steep drop off, and while Alejandro took it with grace even Soap had tripped up his landing and Badger downright slammed into the ground yet again. They took off down even more narrow outcroppings than last time, Alejandro taking the lead with Soap following, Badger kept Rodriguez in front of him and per usual Ghost took up rear guard.
They were quite literally shuffling along and outcropping no wider than a boot, when shots started above their heads. Bits of rock broke off from the walls from missed shots
"Sniper! Move!” Ghost shouted as they all tried to go as fast as they could without slipping off the cliff, they had almost made it to a larger outcropping when another round of shots fired.
A shot ripped through Rodriguez's thigh, and he shouted and tipped forwards reaching out behind him, Badger surged forwards to try to grab him, but he slipped as another shot just barely missed him. Just for a moment he had Rodriguez in his grip before he fell too far forwards tumbling into the valley.
“Rodriguez!” Alejandro shouted mournfully, and Badger was gasping as he was pulled further back onto the narrow outcropping, a hand laced into his vest at his shoulder. Ghost hurried him forwards keeping a tight grip on his vest.
Badger didn't hear the return fire from Alejandro but he nearly felt the rumble of Ghost's voice as he praised “Bloody good shot, mate!”
They all looked upwards as they heard the Army catching up to them again, their orders to follow them down the cliff side sent dread through Badger.
“Army's still on our trail” Soap urged them to move, Alejandro looked down the cliff side remorsefully before steeling himself and then turned to take the lead again. Ghost let go of Badger as they looked off again.
They slid to a stop at the end of an outcropping a bit further down the cliff face, it was a deadend.
“You led us to a deadend mate,” Ghost complained, looking pointedly at Alejandro.
“We jump from here, don't lose your weapon” Alejandro basically gave the last order while in the air, there was absolutely no hesitation before jumped off the clift, it was a solid moment before he splashed into the water. Badger took a nervous gulp.
Soap brave as ever followed quickly with a little whoop of excitement, he too splashed safely into the water.
Badger stepped forwards and hesitated a moment before looking backwards towards the ridge that he knew soon would be full of soldiers shooting down at them again. His eyes flicked to Ghost who surprisingly didn't roll them or slide off his gaze.
“Your turn sergeant” it was missing the usual roughness that typically accompanied Ghost. Badger swallowed again before nodding and turning forwards again, pointedly avoiding looking down.
“Fucking hell” He jumped. And he damn near forgot to hold his breath until moments before he crashed into the water. Vaguely he thinks he hears ghost land in the water shortly after him.
When Badger resurfaces he tries his best to minimize the gasping he is doing, he barely manages to call back that he's okay when Alejandro asks.
“Move down river to the bridge, use the rocks for cover” they start down the river drifting from rock to rock and mostly travel under the water in an attempt to remain hidden from the banks. Alejandro attempted to reach Rodolfo on the comms. “All stations, this is victor-1 how to copy?”
Finally a voice crackled over the radio in response to them.
“dow-1! Do you- say again,-o you’tre---?” It was an American voice.
“Radio is picking up something! Soap sounded elated and looked back excitedly to Badger and Ghost. His smile dropped a little when he looked at Badger, eyes flicking towards his forehead.
Ghost made a sound of approval “sounds American” he commented and was promptly cut off again by enemy fire.
Badger couldn't say he had the most experience fighting in water and had to admit it was adversely affecting his ability to be effective in combat. He swam to a rock that was jutting out of the water and clung to it to steady his hand on his weapon, that miraculously wasn't lost when he crashed into the water, and fired upon the right bank noting that more trucks were rolling in behind the current line of soldiers.
“Vehicles on the bridge” Badger called out and continued to swim up river as the bank was cleared,
“They're not ours” another curse spilled from Soap's lips as he checked his ammunition, they're all low.
The river shallows out the closer they get to the bridge and thankfully more boulders were available for cover as they rose from the water.
“We have to hold here and get extraction” Alejandro started firing upon the vehicles on the bridge, it was doing alarmingly little.
“We can't do shite against that armor!” Soap complains as he continues to fire upon the vehicles trying to target helmets again, when the voice that crackled through before returned
“This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!”
“Who the hell is that?” Alejandro shouted the question over his shoulder as he continued his fire.
“Commander Graves, Shadow company, they're with us” Ghost responded as they all took the welcomed reprieve that was watching the Army be blown to bits and at the bridge collapsing with them on it. Ghost jumped onto the comms to confirm the hit with Graves, “Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7! Good shots! Fire for effect!”
“All stations, no enemy movement detected. You're clear” Badger let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, “Good to see you boys''
“Likewise, mate,” Ghost replied and motioned for them to follow Alejandro to the left bank of the river and onto dry land and towards the bridge. Thankfully there was one ruck left behind. “Graves, we located a vehicle for exfil”
“Roger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two clicks north of your position”
“That's cartel land, they have a compound there” They reached the truck and dumped some of their wet gear into the bed of the truck, Alejandro hopped into the driver's seat and Ghost filed into the front passenger,
“You boys, good to roll up Hassan with some fire from the sky?”
“Lets wrap this fucker up, Graves” Soap sounded full of confidence for someone whos missed Hassan twice and was chased down a mountain, Badger couldn't say that he shared the confidence,
“Solid copy. We are pushing to the target directly. Shadow-1 out”
Badger pushed himself firmly into the back seat and closed his eyes, trying to ground himself and take account of his body. He was tired from the mad dash down the cliff and his forehead was starting to really hurt as the adrenaline started slipping from him on the drive,
He felt Soap lean closer to him and he turned his head rather roughly to give him a mild glare, really not feeling up to his shenanigans at the moment. He was surprised to see that he had gauze in hand and a small first aid kit sitting between them, he looked startled at Badger not expecting the hostility. Badger looked at him confused before Soap gestured to his forehead, and Badger remembered the tree exploding, and reached his hand to the cut on his forehead, fingers coming away red. What he thought was water dripping from his hair was actually mixed with blood and covered a good portion of his face. He must have looked deadly if the worried look he caught from Soap was anything to go off of.
He looked down at Soap sheepishly and let him take his head in his hands, Soap dabbed at his face carefully, occasionally gripping his chin and moving him about so that he could reach everywhere. Badger felt his face heat up and closed his eyes to avoid looking at Soap as he worked, who had drawn his lip between his teeth unconsciously.
It wasn't long until he cleaned up his face, applied a small amount of antiseptic, he cooed at Badger when he had flinched not expecting the sting, and applied small wound closure strips to the gash across his forehead.
Badger thanked him quietly when his hands left his face, and he leaned back into his seat. He looked into the rearview mirror and caught Ghost staring back at him. He flushed again and closed his eyes trying to catch the little bit of rest before they were tossed back into the frying pan.
He tried not to dwell on the feeling of warm hands now absent on his face.
First Next Last Masterlist AO3
Thank you so much for reading! Please consider leaving a comment also i take suggestions for one shot and drabbles
#mw2 2022#cod mw 2022#soap cod#ghost cod#ghost x male reader#ghost x reader#simon ghost riley#soap x ghost#ghost#john soap mctavish x reader#soapghost#john soap mactavish#soap#john soap mactavish x male reader#polyamourous#reader pov#reader insert
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Ramattra Fanfiction WIP sample
3rd person, story centres around Ramattra interacting with certain Overwatch team members, especially Mercy
I wrote this ages ago but figured I'd post some of it and maybe that will lead me to get the ball rolling and write more...
This story is set before the recall, and takes place instead of Ramattra forming Null sector, as if he stops in between to contact Overwatch for help instead of jumping right into the formation of the organisation.
He may still form null sector afterwards. The plans he has are probably still at the forefront of his mind.
However, for the purposes of this story, you don’t know that.
There will more than likely be lore loopholes or things overlooked.
For example, Ramattra’s nemesis form exists, but is still a work in progress. He attacks with his staff (void orb) primarily, and has all the kit he does in Overwatch the game, as does Mercy, Genji, etc.
They are located in Gibraltar,
Story will aim to be present tense, apologies if I slip up at some moments.
In addition, the first part I initially wrote was in 2nd-person (Mercy’s pov) so while I edit this it might slip up too. Sorry!~
Enjoy my story, I have barely seen this ship in writing so I’m quite excited to contribute, I certainly have many other ideas for them meeting, interacting, engaging.
<3 Petal
“You.”
His voice echoed with a low tone across the empty training room. Angela stood a reasonable distance from him, as she always did in battles and meetings.
She still didn’t know him all that well. All she knew was that he was an Omnic, and quite a unique one at that.
Even his voice had such a unique layer to it, unlike other omnics she’d met in the past, and she’d met many aswell as helped them in her time as a medic. It was… inviting, but simultaneously it held a clear message: do not get too close to me, human. Stay in your lane.
Mercy looked up, and while he didn’t frighten her, Ramattra always gave her a little jump whenever he made ‘eye contact’ with her or approached her. Luckily, it was rare; the most she saw of him was his back, during missions while assisting him and her other team mates.
Though, she always preferred to help him over the others, and she couldn’t quite explain why.
She swallows and awaits his next words; would it be approval…? Dismissal? Criticism? If so, hopefully constructive; Ramattra had never given her feedback before, positive or negative.
He takes two step forward and raises his head at her. “...were great out there today. Thank you for keeping me alive, and at high strength.”
Mercy breathes, a sigh of relief aswell as a release of tension she hadn’t even known was building up. She smiles, nothing more, to express her thanks. After all, Ramattra was always one of few words, she didn’t expect anything further to come of it…
“There are, however, some things I wish to improve,” he adds, “I understand you have significantly enhanced hardware to help you ‘fly’, however I notice you often… not utilising it. You often perch yourself close to me, behind cover, instead.”
“...which is fine… but you do have other people to help, you know.”
Mercy blushed, entering that same brain-zone she does when she finds herself doing exactly what he described; now that it had hit her outside of battle, she knew what it was that compelled her to behave this way.
Not that she planned on sharing it.
Ramattra chuckles, “is there perhaps a reason for this behaviour? You appear to be at the same physical status this very minute as when it occurs.”
What the…
Almost tauntingly, Ramattra steps forward yet again, mere inches from her.
Mercy quickly scans around her to see who was nearby; everyone had already left from the meeting post-battle, as she thought.
Her heart races at the sight of him so close, so much taller than her; the front of him was a lot nicer than the back, a lot more detailed in her opinion, a lot more beautiful. She admired many designs, she’d worked on some herself over the years. Ramattra’s was definitely one of her favourites so far.
“You’re asking me why I get distracted, is that correct?” Mercy asks, a lot clearer than Ramattra had expected; perhaps he had been wrong about her enhanced state, perhaps she was just bored during the fights, and he had overestimated his supposed effect on her.
“Yes, I guess I am, respectfully of course.” Ramattra stayed firm, and held a peaceful tone while speaking to her. Though, he felt a slight twang of fear, that he may have misspoke, may have misinterpreted…
Mercy laughs lightly. She knew just how she’d throw him off. “Well, if you must know, I find you to be intriguing. No one else quite like you has joined Overwatch before. It’s refreshing, and it’s a challenge to keep you at peak performance.”
He nods, anticipating more from her.
“As for the distraction… well, I could be helping the others more, but the truth is none of them can protect me like you can.”
Ramattra says nothing, but he feels as if more explanation is required. Humans, human women, something he truly knew less than he thought about.
“I stick to you more, because if something were to happen, I would feel safest relying on you to step in and help me. And, I get the most output by helping you. Your equipment, shall I say, is quite …” She swallows, nervously. The truth was, Ramattra always scared her a little, the mere fact that she didn’t truly know his allegiances, his intentions; he could swap and hurt her at any point, and she knew that if he decided to, she wouldn’t last more than a second against him.
“It’s… a lot more lethal than most of the others here.”
As well as that, I think of how you’d feel closer to me, how your body would feel against mine, how your body would react to touches in different places–
Of course, that would never be said. And she hoped he would never know. She’d felt like this before, about Genji, a long time ago now; she knew something like this couldn’t eventuate, for many reasons…
“It’s good to know someone here is reliable. I truly thank you for your consistent hard work, Angela. You are good at what you do. I am flattered…”
Mercy’s body tenses, hoping the flattery he refers to is nothing more than to his strength and protective potential. But the way he says it, it’s almost as if he’s expecting her to reveal more; or as if he already knew in the first place…
“... to be your first preference.”
He breaks the gaze between them and reads out the time. “Well, you might be my strongest teammate, and I’d enjoy speaking further, but you do need to sleep. I should get going.”
With a slight panic, before he’s even walked off, Angela spits out; “wait–! I…”
Raising his head to mimic an eyebrow raised, Ramattra waits patiently…
“I– I don’t really, I mean…” She clears her throat, and giggles softly. A sound that strikes him more than it should, “I don’t often sleep, but please don’t tell anyone. After all the experimenting I’ve done, I’ve acquired quite a schedule, with my medical progress seeming to lighten my demand for sleep. And if I do need sleep, I usually drink coffee..."
She sighs, worried she’s talked for too long already. The truth was probably more that Ramattra had better things to do.
“I’m just saying, I’ve got more time than you think. So if there’s anything you need, or-or want- I’m available.” *** I've written more afterwards, like them going on a date... but I plan to write a scene where they talk in her office and speak of her technologies etc... Originally it was going to be 2nd person with reader being mercy BUT it makes more sense to be 3rd person...
Anyway, I guess I'm posting this to gage if anyone actually likes this, maybe I can continue it or even in comic format ;w;
I imagine a lot of interactions between him and other overwatch heroes too. Aswell as interactions if/when he still forms null sector later on...
Thank you for reading ^w^
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Episode 27 - The Day of Sagittarius
Oh hey, it's my star sign. That's neat. I'm sure only good things will happen here.
I have no idea what's going on (dream probably) but I am here for it. Confirming once and for all the previous implication that Haruhi is a sci-fi nerd.
*spit take* HAHAHA WHAT
We're at war with the Computer Club!?
When? XD When will Haruhi's antagonism of the poor, traumatized Computer Club prez end? She blackmailed him into giving her a computer, conjured an interdimensional space cricket to eat his brain, and now her fleet is going to obliterate his fleet for no clear reason.
Also one of her flunkies invented a fake girlfriend for him who he never even got to meet.
When will we stop torturing this poor boy who just wanted to do nerd shit in his nerd room? XD
Oh, he picked this fight.
Never mind. Let's fuck his shit up. Teach you to stand up to your bully, nerd boy. What good can possibly come from further exposing yourself to Haruhi?
I love how the game is "an original we developed" but there's a 3 in it.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
NERD BOY'S SHIT HAS BEEN FUCKED
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
WHAT DID I TELL YOU? FURTHER EXPOSURE TO HARUHI IS HOW YOU GET JUMP KICKED IN THE HEAD!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Just take the L and go, man. Your pride is not worth this.
Oh shit yes. Computers for everyone? Let's fuck him up hard.
That'd be a computer for Mikuru, one for Kyon, one for Itsuki, and a second computer for Haruhi because Yuki won't use hers anyway!
I love that Yuki is completely fucking hopeless at using a computer manually because she's never had to do that before in her life. Just because she's a robot, that doesn't mean she understands contemporary hardware.
But it does grant her a benefit to learning quickly.
I love their fleets. Haruhi imagines a wide variety of different aliens serving under her. Mikuru imagines she leads a cluster of adorable kitties. Yuki imagines identical Yuki drones serving as extensions of her. And Kyon imagines nothing because he has no imagination.
Oh, those fucking nerds are cheating. I'm glad Haruhi kicked Prez in the head.
Good thing we have a robot on our team!
We would be so lost without Yuki. She's the only member of this group that has her shit together. I'm glad she came with the room.
Imagine if we'd picked a different room and got a houseplant. Do you think a houseplant could beat the Computer Club's cheating? The answer is yes, probably, because Haruhi would make it so. But still.
I think she should kick him in the head again.
Haruhi demonstrating her character growth from the meltdown fight again. She's still possessive as a kneejerk reaction, but when Yuki indicates she'd actually be willing to participate in Compouter Club, Haruhi backs off.
Though she also annexes the Computer Club in the process. This wasn't part of the deal and only came up right this second, so I'm pretty sure this is how Haruhi's rationalizing backing off and letting Yuki participate in their activities.
#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya#drake watches haruhi suzumiya#haruhi suzumiya#haruhi is my reflection#yuki nagato
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Red Team Blues Chapter One, part four
My next novel, Red Team Blues, is nearly here! I start my tour on Saturday, with two appearances at the LA Times Festival of Books:
https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/schedule/
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/2023/04/20/links-arent-performances/#henched
To kick things off, I’m serializing chapter one, where we meet Marty Hench, a 67-year-old, hard-charging forensic accountant with 40 years’ experience busting Silicon Valley’s most eye-watering scams, and learn about his last case — recovering a billion dollars’ worth of cryptographic secrets.
Here’s the previous installments:
Part one:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#unsalted-hash
Part two:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/18/cursed-are-the-sausagemakers/#henched
Part three:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/19/whats-wrong-with-iowa/#henched
Here’s where US readers can pre-order the book:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues
Here’s pre-orders for Canadians:
https://services.raincoast.com/scripts/b2b.wsc/featured?hh_isbn=9781250865847&ht_orig_from=raincoast
And for readers in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth:
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/red-team-blues-cory-doctorow/7225998?ean=9781804547755
And now, here’s today’s serial installment:
We built the system to be secure. You know me, I’m a paranoid old creep with a dirty mind, so everything I did, I did right. The keys were on an air gap system. I bought that system myself off a pile of boxed HP laptops at Fry’s just a couple of weeks before they closed their doors for good.”
“Rest in peace.”
“It was time. But back when you could go into Fry’s, you could pick up a laptop sealed in shrink-w rap, carry it yourself to the cashier, pay cash for it, and walk out, stopping only to show your receipt to the poor door-checker. Then you could take it to the data center, badge into the clean room, lay out your workbench, unscrew that sucker, and remove every single network interface with a pair of pliers, not just snipping the traces but ripping them right off the board.”
“Lucky you didn’t snap the board.”
He grimaced. “I did. I bought three of them so I could take a mulligan or two if I needed it. I only needed one spare, as it turned out. Then it went into a safe, a good safe, rated for three hours. There’s a watchman who makes physical rounds of every safe room, every two hours. And I locked up the BIOS with a hardware token. Steal that laptop, you’d still need my token.”
“And yet . . .”
“You know how they say anyone can design a security system that he himself can’t figure out how to break?”
“Schneier’s law.”
“Schneier’s law. Yeah. Someone smarter than I am figured it out.”
“The watchman?”
“No, though he might have been in on it. They fired him. The safe was opened, the laptop was gone.”
“And the hardware token?”
“You’ll love this.”
“I can’t wait.”
He tugged his forelock and adopted a broad Cockney accent that would have embarrassed Dick van Dyke. “Guv’nah, I was pickpocketed, so I was.”
“I don’t believe it. Pickpocketing is supposed to be a dead art. Who was working the scam, Apollo Robbins?”
He shrugged. “I don’t reckon so. But yeah, there’s plenty of Vegas acts that do pickpocketing stuff, and there’s a pretty big YouTube competitive pickpocket scene with tutorials. Plus, there’s the European talent, a lot of it, never really died out there. Covent Garden is like a plague reservoir for the pathogen, and you get an outbreak every year or two.”
“You had the hardware token on your key ring?”
“That day, I did. I’d been in the data center. Then we went to dinner. Hydra. The prix fixe. The chef’s table is nice, but the taster menu gets you the octopodi. Someone bumped me between the data center and my front door.”
“Oof,” I said. “Did you have to ring the downstairs neighbor’s doorbell and climb out on their balcony?”
“Don’t be stupid,” he said. “In the first place, Sethu has her own keys. In the second place, the outside doors here are locked and armed when we’re AFK.”
I’d noticed the locks on the outside doors, and the break sensors, and the cameras — both the covert and overt ones. There were probably some I’d missed. I wouldn’t put it past Danny to have a lidar rig in the shrubs, something to help the system distinguish between cat burglars and house cats.
“The watchman from the data center,” I said. “That’s your guy. Probably not the mastermind, but he’ll be the key to it all.”
“Looks like they socially engineered him. Matched him on Tinder, messaged him, Oh, is that where you work? I’m just around the corner — want to meet me for a quick boba tea?”
“Catfished. Honey trap.”
He sighed. “Yeah. It was a good one.”
“You reported the theft?”
“The insurance company will pay for a new laptop, which, frankly, I don’t need, because I already have the spare I bought when I was going through the whole rigamarole to set up the air gap. But that’s not the valuable part.”
“No, it isn’t. How about the keys?”
“Yeah, how about them?”
“First, have you warned your source that you lost them, so they can tell Apple and Samsung and all the other manufacturers that rely on those secure enclave chips? And second, have you warned your users that their money isn’t safe?”
He looked over at Sethu, at Palo Alto, at his lemonade glass, and at the clouds in the sky. Long looks. The silence spoke volumes.
“How much money is the Trustlesscoin ledger worth, Danny?”
He looked me dead in the eye now. “About a billion.”
We’d already been talking about trillions, so I shouldn’t have been shocked. But tech founders are always throwing around big numbers, and I’ve developed the mental habit of knocking a few zeroes off any claims about “total addressable markets.”
Trustlesscoin was the new crypto on the block. My unconscious estimate of its value was in the low tens of millions, which is also a big number, but not a billion.
“A billion here, a billion there — ”
He cut me off. “Pretty soon, it starts to add up to real money. Yeah, I know, Marty. Don’t joke, you’re not good at it.”
“When did you lose the keys?”
He checked his watch — a mechanical one, not ostentatious, an old wartime Rolex, from when men’s Oysters were the size of a nickel, not these giant tourbillon monstrosities that cost a million bucks and looked like a poor man’s idea of a rich man’s watch. “Seventy-four hours and thirty minutes ago.”
“Give or take.”
“You’re not good at comedy, Marty. We’ve established that.”
“What fallout has there been?”
“Not much,” he said. “In fact, maybe none. We have a pretty good statistical picture of what normal Trustless transaction activity looks like, and nothing has rung the alarm bells yet.”
“Yet. But maybe not ever. Maybe they can’t figure out how to exploit what they got.”
“Or maybe they’re biding their time. Or running an old- school salami-slice grift, shaving a lot of pennies, getting ready to cash out.”
“Can you block that? They have to convert Trustlesscoins into fiat to get away with it, right?”
“They do, but we can’t stop them. We’re on every major exchange, not just to other tokens but also a bunch of different kinds of fiat and stablecoins. How do you think we got to a billion dollars so quickly? Trustless is both highly liquid and highly efficient. That’s why it’s the future of finance.”
“And money laundering.”
For a second, I thought he was going to throw his lemonade glass, dash it to the cool flagstones of his roof garden. He took a deep breath and then another and then set the glass down. “And money laundering. Marty, stop fucking with me. I am keenly aware that there are money launderers using my service. That has been apparent since the start. Some of these money launderers are very far away and would struggle to reach me if my technology did something to upset them. Some of them are closer.”
He shook his head violently. “Marty, I am shitting bricks here. There’s another shoe getting ready to drop, and when it does, I’m going to go down with it. Hard. I’m not just talking about losing my reputation and my fortune, I’m not just talking about ruining the life of that woman over there who dragged me back from the brink. I’m talking about being targeted for physical violence by unreasonable, sadistic, powerful criminal men who amassed their fortunes by spilling an ocean of blood and who cannot be placated. Nor can they be fended off, not unless I want to live my life inside a bunker.
“I don’t know who stole those keys, Marty. I shouldn’t have had them in the first place. I am now in a position where everything I hold dear is on the line, and so I called you. You and I go way back, you’re my friend and I trust you, but I didn’t call you because I wanted to cry on your shoulder.”
“You called me because you think I can get the keys back.”
“Bullshit. I called you because I’m desperate. I don’t think anyone can get those keys back. I think that inside of a month, everything I care about will be in ruins. Major technology platforms that depend on secure enclaves for things way beyond Trustlesscoin will be exposed because of my recklessness, and they will be fucked. Secure enclaves are designed to be tamper- proof. You try to take one off a board the way I did with those air gap laptops’ network interfaces and you render them permanently inoperable. They can’t be field updated. They have no flashable BIOS. A vulnerability in a secure enclave is permanent.
“But the trillions of dollars in damage that I will do to the largest tech companies in the world will not worry me, because I will either be on the run or dead. Not a good death, either, Marty.
“So I called you because before that happens, I plan on exhausting every avenue of mitigation available to me.”
“If I recover them?”
He snorted. “You do that, you might save my life and rescue a third of the top performers on the S&P 500 from their worst earnings call since the Great Financial Crisis.”
Today (Apr 21), I’m speaking in Chicago at the Stigler Center’s Antitrust and Competition Conference. This weekend (Apr 22/23), I’m at the LA Times Festival of Books.
[Image ID: A squared-off version of Will Staehle's cover for the Macmillan edition of 'Red Team Blues.']
#pluralistic#fiction#crypto means cryptography#red team blues#martin hench#serials#crypto#books#cryptocurrency
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heya! I was scrolling through the tags on that ask-culture post and saw yours, and just wanted to stop by to say that that's really cool!! I was enamoured with the idea of the large hadron collider when I was a kid-- what was it like working there (if you're allowed to say)? do you have any interesting stories from those days? and were any of you amused at the rumors going around back then, that "when they turn on the LHC the world will totally end!1!!"?
(my own "funny" anecdote: I remember playing Zelda: Twilight Princess and eating a cheese sandwich that day, patiently waiting for the sky to light up or some black hole to appear, even though I knew it was fearmongering newspaper bullshit lmao... just the awe at the thought that we had a construct so powerful to smash atoms like that was rocking my world, I was so excited to see what things we would discover from it!)
Hi anon, thanks for asking!
The experience of working at the LHC will probably change a lot depending on when you are there and what you work on. I've met a few people who work on "beams", which is all about the low energy proton systems that get things started and the focusing magnets and stuff, but most people I know are on one of the four big LHC experiments: ATLAS, LHCb, CMS, and ALICE. So there's always people who do almost purely data analysis, but I think it's fun to talk about the hardware of the detectors themselves and what it feels like to work on them.
People who work on ATLAS probably have the most boring experience. Not that their detector isn't cool (it's very very cool), but ATLAS is located at the main CERN campus, so I don't think there's really much of an "ATLAS control room culture" different from the general CERN campus culture. Noone has to bike between CERN and the control room, or take the shift bus at 6am (all the bus drivers have fantastic music taste btw). They can go to the main cafeteria. Being "on a detector shift" just sort of has less of a vibe for them.
I'm going to talk about the LHCb detector because I'm fairly familiar with it and they just rebuilt the WHOLE thing in 2019-2023. So it's like they're back in 2009 again really. LHCb is about a half hour bike ride from main CERN, tucked in between the back fence of Geneva airport and a McDonald's (I like to joke that the detector is under the McDonald's but it's not). So when you're on site at LHCb, you have to hang out with other people from LHCb! And during the rebuilding period, you also get to meet a lot of the technicians. Not everyone who works on the LHC is a physicist, on the detector side we do also have some awesome people who help us put the damn thing together (electrical engineers and former mechanics). There's a lot of gruntwork to be done to put a detector together, and for me it involved cleaning and plugging in a whole lot of optical fibre connectors (to the sound of the disco radio station). There was this one spot on the stairs to the scaffold we called the "helmet check": there was a pole sticking out and people usually duck enough to miss it with their head, but still hit the helmet. Working on scaffold 3m up in the air to reach the top of the detector parts is cool.
The detector pieces are mostly assembled above ground and then moved downstairs when they're complete. To be clear, "downstairs" here is 100m underground by elevator. There's a big cylindrical hole on site ("the pit") where detector components can be lowered in by crane. I just think that's pretty cool!
Anyway if you're friends with the detector teams, you get to hear a lot of the "real facts" early and without politics. Sometimes you try not to admit the detector is behind schedule on construction until after someone else has already admitted to needing a delay. Sometimes everyone can tell that a deadline is going to be missed but you can't announce that too early just in case your estimate of how much you'll miss the deadline by is too far off. Sometimes you hear that something is broken a few days before it's officially announced. Sometimes you hear that another detector asked for a beam stop and it was to try to get a bird out of their detector cavern (I don't think they ever found the bird). I know in the early years there was a months long repair shutdown caused by a pine marten chewing through an important power cable. LHCb has a local cat that drops by to visit and people put photos of it on twitter.
I wasn't on the project early enough for the first turn on, but I was really glad to be around for this upgrade period. Seeing the detector up close really gives you a sense of the scale (huge), and working on the details really lets you know how much time and care and effort goes into it. And that's without even discussing the software and computing stuff! Huge project for humanity overall, such a privilege to be there myself for a little bit of it and have put my hands on it (while appropriately electrically grounded of course).
The whole thing was a pretty unique life experience. Long and busy days at the detector, but cool, and having lunch (or on site BBQ) with my colleagues was always great. I think I'll always miss it, but I don't regret changing jobs to have a better work life balance.
Don't know if that was what you were hoping to learn, this was kind of a hardware and lifestyle based ramble. Feel free to ask follow up questions or ask more about the science/data analysis side, there's lots of stories there too!
(And if you're in Geneva over winter, try to get yourself on a tour of one of the detectors! You can't go in the other months when the beam is on, winter is guaranteed Tour Time but there is sometimes a week or so in summer.)
#science communication#physics#particle physics#lhc#scientist by day#my real life#large hadron collider
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Cam then met Piper’s moms, and baby cousin Emily. She already met Hamuera at the party, and he shyly said hi to her before heading off to his room. Emily, who was usually loud and goofy, was unusually quiet. Piper glanced at her, and noticed that she blushed as Cam said that Piper had told her about how Emily played soccer, and that Cam used to play as well. Piper smiled and thought it was kind of cute that Emily had a crush, and decided to tease her about it later.
In Emily’s mind, she just felt weird as heck. As soon as Piper and Cam had walked in and Cam said hi to her, Emily felt like her face was turning red and her heart was beating faster and her hands were getting clammy. She wondered if it was some kind of bug, like the cold that was going around in her class three weeks ago. She hoped not, since she wanted to be able to play with her soccer team and all.
While Emily then started talking with Piper, Chrissy turned to Cam. “So, what do your parents do, Cam?” She asked. “Well, my dad is a writer by day and fancy cook in our house by night.” Cam added, smiling. “And my mom owns a hardware store in Copperdale. She also helps build sets for the local theater and she has her degree in engineering so she does odd jobs or consulting.” She said. “Okay, that’s pretty cool.” Chrissy said, smiling. “What about you?” She asked. “Currently, I’m in the chess club at Copperdale, and I help my mom in the store sometimes, plus she taught me how to build and fix stuff so anytime one of our relatives have an issue, my mom tells them to let me check it out as if I’m a pro, but honestly all I do is turn stuff on or off, or use my tools to fix some random thing.” Chrissy laughed. “Plus.” Cam added. “My dad and I take woodshop classes some saturdays at the rec center, and I built a wonky but useable chair.” Chrissy grinned. “If you’re trying to impress me, it’s working.” She joked. Cam laughed too. “I am, honestly, Mrs. Hecking-Feldman.” She said. “You can call me Chrissy.” Chrissy said. “And I understand, when I started dating Piper’s mom Luna, I was so nervous to impress her moms, and I’ve known them since I was a toddler.” She added convivially. “But anyway, it’s really great to meet you, Cam. I can see why Piper talks about you so much.”
Piper overheard this and said, “Mama, honestly.” And blushed. “What does she say about me?” Cam asked, giving Piper a mischievous smile. “There’s so much.” Chrissy said as Piper covered her face with her hands. “But one time, I took Piper shopping and as soon as she saw a 90s style black t shirt, she sighed and said, ‘This is just like something Cam would wear.’ And had such a moon eyed expression. She really likes you.” Piper groaned as Cam laughed and her mama grinned. Cam felt kind of bad that Piper had to be embarrassed alone, so she added. “Well, my mom and dad keep saying that I talk about Piper a lot too.” Piper grinned at her this time. “Anything specific?” She asked teasingly. "No, but according to them I keep bringing you up. Like Piper said or did this, and when my sister Cecilia talked about San Myshuno U, I brought up that you take art classes there." She said. Piper smiled at this.
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Second Day
After a busy first day meeting the team, we had a much shorter day today, visiting a local church and a family from that church who live in a slum.
There are 11 people living in their tiny house, which is essentially a shack. The house would probably be around 15m2, all one open room with bedding, clothing and cooking equipment altogether. Children sleep on the floorboards or under the house on hammocks, as the house is built on poles since it floods in the rainy season. They share a toilet with many other families, so around 50-70 people. People “shower” with no privacy, it really is communal living. It was humbling to be invited into their home and to see how they live. It felt like I was in the movie Slumdog Millionare, but Cambodian version, sitting in their tiny shack with a tin roof and a communal toilet.
It’s interesting to be back in a third world country, walking through slums and meeting locals. It’s hard to see how they live, knowing there’s not going to be change anytime soon. Children sleeping altogether on mouldy floorboards next to rubbish and mud, very vulnerable to sickness and exploitation. It’s also hard to know what to do to help, to provide support that is actually helpful and going to change lives positively. Giving handouts is seldom a good thing and given that we’re here so short term, quality relational work is also a bit difficult. Luckily, Q used to be a builder, so he is proving to be very helpful over here. The team knew Q’s skill set, and knew this family’s home, or shack as we would call it, needs some work, so we’ve organised for him to help out.
While we were visiting with them, looking at what needed to be done and hearing about their family, they asked us to pray for them. I honestly didn’t know what to say, and just looked over at Q giving him the, “this ones all yours” look! The family are Christians too and when you see the way they live, their circumstances and how despite all of that, they are faithful to God, it makes you feel pretty stink about your own faith or lack there of. When they asked us to pray for them, you could tell they were so excited to have white people praying for them. Even though they spoke no English so couldn’t understand our prayers. It felt weird to be seen as somehow more spiritual or qualified to pray for them than others, as we are no better than them. Perhaps it was simply that people saw them as people worth caring about that made them happy? They said they had been praying for help with their house and that we were an answer to prayer. Wow. That was incredible.
The temperature over here is around 35-40 most days, so their little house was very hot, even with the fan on. Only around 20% of homes in the villages have aircon or refrigeration of any sort, and power itself is super expensive. In both homes we visited, they turned on the fan only once we arrived. Most houses we’ve seen have connection to power or solar panels for charging phones and operating fans. It’s so interesting that everyone has cellphones and dresses so nicely, yet live in such hard conditions. It was the same in The Gambia. You’d never know their living conditions based on their appearance. When they’re in the slums and villages it does look like it, but when they go out, they put on their best clothes and look just like everyone else. I was even surprised by S’s standard of living, because when we first met he had such a nice backpack and what looked to be a brand new shirt, it was so clean and tidy.
After our visit to the family, we went to a hardware store to source building materials so Q can fix their flooring, as it is rotting and uneven. Q is very happy to have a practical way of helping out here. Not sure how helpful I’ll be with the project... I guess I can measure things... I’m surprised by the lack of English spoken here too, with only around 20% of the population speaking English. In The Gambia, almost everyone knows English, especially the younger generation. But over here you have to pay more to go to an English speaking school. To find such a highly tourism reliant city where the next generation don’t speak great English is fascinating.
It was a short day but still an important one. I always really appreciate visiting locals and seeing how they live. It reminds me of the excess I have and how much further our money goes over here. I know that going into locals homes is rare, that most Westerners and tourists don’t get that opportunity to see the reality of life. We are looking forward to getting stuck into this project, although the heat will be a big challenge!
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State of the UC Union
Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) is a combination of various communication methods and collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards, real-time audio and video conferencing and enhanced call control capabilities to improve efficiency in the workplace. It provides a collection of easy-to-use solutions that can be implemented in various organizations to ensure that the end user receives a nearly real-time collaboration experience that works efficiently, smoothly and securely.
Video collaboration has been evolved from hardware-based codecs of traditional Polycom and Cisco Systems to more software driven solution of Microsoft Teams, Zooms, Google Meets, WebEx, post the pandemic. A lot of the solutions have now been replaced with simpler easier to deploy solutions for small meeting rooms, mid-size meeting rooms as well as larger boardrooms, meeting rooms, training rooms and large venue spaces such as Auditoriums and event spaces. However, the challenges of designing, executing and implementing the technologies and the user experience still remain. The intend of this whitepaper is to ensuring the reader to make the right decision based on today’s available technology. Video conferencing has become an increasingly important aspect of today’s world, as many organizations are transitioning to hybrid working environments. It has greatly aided in connecting people over a phone call where people can experience real-time video conferencing features while being located in different remote locations which would not be possible with Video conferencing platforms.
Types of Video Conferencing:
Telepresence Video Conferencing System
Integrated Video Conferencing System
Desktop Video Conferencing System
Video Collaboration Platforms:
Zooms
Microsoft Teams
Google Meets
Cisco
WebEX
What are Native and Non- Native Solutions. Why is it important in a Video Collaboration system?
Video conferencing is a live audio-visual connection between two or more remote parties over the internet that simulates a face-to-face meeting in real-time. In the business world, desktop video conferencing is a core component of Unified communications platforms that also include calling and messaging capabilities. Standalone on-premises and cloud-based video conferencing platforms are also available from numerous vendors who support desktop and room-based Video conferencing solutions with the ability to embed them into business applications, such as Telehealth, customer service and distance learning, etc.
The Primary difference between a Native and a Non-Native system is the user experience. Post Work from home and Back to office systems imply that the end users wants a user interface (IPAD, OEM’s touch panel, etc..) to have the same familiar look and feel that they are dialing/ joining directly from their laptop. Native user experiences also allow for a seamless connection to users within the enterprises in terms of a active directory integration as well. These native integrations have to be certified by the certified solution provides (Microsoft Team, Zooms, etc…) as a part of being through the ecosystem.
Though more expensive, native systems offer a more seamless experience to the management. Non-Native systems can be simply a Video collaboration bar in a room with a PC behind the display, essentially the PC is a desktop/ user laptop that allow content sharing as well as dialing/joining into the enterprise (As the main UC Engine). Non-native applications are easy to deploy, lower cost to maintenance as well.
Differences between Native and Non-Native Solutions
Hard Codec Running Native UC Platform Modes UC hardware often runs in “Native Mode,” meaning that the built-in Windows/Mac or Android computer is running a single UC Platform application such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The system is “locked in” to that platform. This is a great option if your business is already using a soft client version on employees’ laptops, as you essentially just extend this experience to the meeting room. Employees can then make a Zoom call from their laptops, or a Zoom call from a conference room’s dedicated “Native” platform. They are already familiar with the UI and so the transition to a hardware version feels seamless.
Soft codec Running Native UC Platform Modes
Soft codec systems are more commonly known as cloud or web-based video conferencing software. They’re “soft” as they don’t need codec hardware to work, and “codec” refers to devices or programs that compress and decompress data. It just needs a USB peripheral device such as USB camera, USB microphone and thin client PC in which all the software platforms can be loaded and they can initiate the call using wireless keyboard and mouse.
Unified Communication & Collaboration Tools for Native Interface
Zoom Rooms Zoom Rooms, the Modern Hybrid workspaces for Teams, brings HD video collaboration into any space – in the office, the classroom, or at home – and allows in[1]person and remote participants to interact in real-time. Zoom Rooms are the conference room experience you’ve always wanted, making it simple to start a meeting, book a room, and share content. Bring high-quality video, audio, and web conferencing to any sized room or workspace. Advanced features like Zoom Kiosks (virtual receptionist), voice commands & room controls on your mobile device. Enabling the hybrid workforce with features like Smart Gallery and Workspace Reservation. Google, Office 365 & Exchange calendar integrations support room booking, room status, upcoming meetings list, and more.
Workspace Reservation
Wireless sharing with proximity detection
Scheduling Displays
Digital Signage
Smart collaboration tools to keep projects moving Work from anywhere
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is an enterprise-ready unified communications (UC) platform. Teams connects people everywhere, on Windows MAC and other operating systems including mobile devices, as part of their everyday productivity experience. Microsoft Teams provides a consistent, single client experience for presence, instant messaging, voice, video and a great meeting experience. Microsoft Teams goes beyond communication. Easily find, share and edit files in real-time using apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel inside Teams.
Chat: Share your opinion and your personality, send gifs, stickers and emojis in a group chat or in one-to-one messages.
Meet: Microsoft Teams offers real-time video conferencing. Host online meetings from 1:1, teams and live events up to 10,000 people.
Call: Make and receive calls with internal and external groups using Microsoft Teams Calling, Phone System, Calling Plan, or Direct Routing.
Collaborate: Store, share and edit files in real-time using apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel in Microsoft Teams.
Digital whiteboard camera technology Kaptivo
Collaborate with remote team members with secure whiteboard/Interactive Display live sharing and video conference integrations.
Connect via Video Conference or Web Browser
Share Livestream of Whiteboard
Secure Whiteboard Image Capture
Save Snapshots and Track Changes
Kaptivo Cast
The Kaptivo Cast HDMI converter pairs with your Kaptivo to livestream vibrant, unobstructed whiteboard images to any HDMI capable input including traditional video codecs, displays, projectors, or lecture capture systems.
With the Kaptivo Cast, Kaptivo seamlessly integrates into meeting systems from all leading providers.
Quantum Leap Lite
The Leap Lite for Conference Room with Mounting Bracket is a step forward in conference cameras.
It features the camera and a display bracket mount that enables mounting your camera to the top or bottom of most display screens and monitors.
The lens of the leap lite with a 110-degree field of view that is suitable for most meeting or conference rooms.
No drivers are required to work on Linux, Windows, Android etc., the leap lite is also compatible with virtually all collaborative software platforms. And it connects your computer via USB, which makes it a simple plug[1]and-play video conference solution.
Quantum 4k PTZ camera with Condor Microphone
The advantages of Quantum camera is they provide stable product quality, 4k PTZ Camera from Value HD is the most cost-effective solution to provide effective communication.
With video in 4K Ultra HD and 82 degrees wide-angle lens, you can enjoy a superior resolution for all of your video conferences.
The 12X Optical Zoom is smooth and rapid and it delivers close-ups with superior resolution. With its patented 4K ISP solution, the lens of this PTZ camera can be controlled from a remote location. The software (Skype for business, Microsoft teams etc.) will be loaded in the thin client PC.
Display to be used to show Far end and Near end participants. During this mode Phoenix beamforming microphone with hemispheric pickup pattern in the room will get activated for audio pick up and reinforcement of far end audio shall be done via ceiling speakers.
The Phoenix Microphone is created with the vision of a clutter free conference table, the Condor sits above or below your monitor and with a pick-up range of up to 30 ft almost any conference room can use the Condor.
Conclusion
Enterprises today face a range of options, and we feel the top five takeaways are as follows:
Understand your vision for the Unified Collaboration rollout for your enterprise well in advance. (Spend time planning.)
Do trial runs with different manufacturers and end users to understand what works and what doesn’t across a range of budgets.
Deploy in small batches.
Understand the long-term value of the system as well as the compatibility with other systems that may come along the way that we may feel are going to be more software-driven.
Collect and analyze data around usage patterns using room schedulers, sensors on clouds, and analytics platforms to assist in improving the user experience as well as assisting with remote asset management and remote deployments.
To know more you can always contact Allwave AV on [email protected] or call us on 9372374450.
To view the complete document for State of the UC Union click here.
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Conference Room Acoustic Panels
Managing IT infrastructure is a critical aspect of running a successful modern business. As technology continues to advance, businesses face complex challenges that require innovative solutions to maintain efficiency, security, and scalability. From network management to hardware optimization, every aspect of IT infrastructure demands attention and expertise. In this article, we will explore the top challenges in IT infrastructure management and highlight how effective strategies can ensure seamless operations.
Scalability and Flexibility Issues
One of the primary challenges in IT infrastructure management is scalability. As businesses grow, their IT requirements also evolve. Many organizations struggle to expand their IT systems without facing downtime or performance issues. Legacy systems and outdated hardware often hinder scalability, making it difficult to meet the demands of a growing organization. Cloud-based solutions and virtualization technologies have emerged as effective answers to this problem, offering businesses the flexibility to scale their resources without significant disruptions.
Security and Data Privacy Concerns
Cybersecurity remains a top concern for IT infrastructure managers. With increasing cyber threats and data breaches, businesses must ensure that their systems are fortified against potential attacks. IT infrastructure management involves implementing robust security protocols, firewalls, and encryption methods. Regular security audits and employee training programs also play a vital role in minimizing vulnerabilities. Adopting advanced cybersecurity measures is essential to safeguard sensitive data and maintain customer trust.
Cost Management and Budget Constraints
Balancing costs while maintaining efficient IT infrastructure is a recurring challenge for many businesses. Investments in hardware, software licenses, and IT personnel can quickly escalate, straining budgets. Organizations must carefully plan their IT investments and prioritize areas that require immediate attention. Embracing cost-effective solutions such as cloud computing and outsourcing IT management tasks can help optimize expenditures while maintaining operational efficiency.
Conference Room Acoustic Panels: Enhancing Collaboration Spaces
Modern IT infrastructure extends beyond servers and software—it also includes optimizing physical spaces for effective collaboration. Conference rooms equipped with proper acoustic panels play a significant role in enhancing communication and productivity during meetings. Poor acoustics can cause distractions, reduce speech clarity, and lead to miscommunication. Conference room acoustic panels help absorb excess sound, eliminate echo, and create a more focused environment for discussions. Integrating these solutions into the overall IT infrastructure strategy ensures seamless collaboration across teams.
Downtime and Disaster Recovery
Downtime can have severe financial and reputational consequences for any organization. Whether caused by hardware failure, software crashes, or natural disasters, businesses must have a solid disaster recovery plan in place. IT infrastructure management involves creating backup systems, redundancy protocols, and recovery strategies to minimize downtime. Cloud-based disaster recovery solutions offer quick data restoration, reducing the impact of unexpected disruptions.
Staying Updated with Technological Advances
The fast-paced evolution of technology poses another challenge for IT infrastructure managers. Businesses must continuously update their systems and adopt new technologies to stay competitive. This requires ongoing training for IT teams and investing in modern tools. Failure to keep up with technological advancements can result in inefficiencies and missed opportunities In conclusion, addressing the challenges in IT infrastructure management is essential for ensuring smooth business operations. From enhancing scalability to investing in conference room acoustic panels, businesses must adopt strategic solutions to overcome these hurdles. Discover more effective strategies and solutions on Fastech Technosolutions to keep your IT infrastructure robust and future-ready.
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Enhance Your Meetings with Advanced Video Conferencing Solutions
In today’s fast-paced business environment, having the right video conferencing solutions is essential for seamless communication and collaboration. Whether it's for a small team meeting or a global conference, investing in advanced video conference equipment ensures your organization stays connected.
Dynamic Communications offers a range of cutting-edge tools, including popular options like Zoom video conferencing, the Owl Camera, and the versatile Airtame Hub. These tools redefine the meeting experience, making it more interactive and efficient. The Kandao Camera, for example, delivers stunning 360-degree views, ensuring that everyone in the room is part of the conversation.
From video conferencing equipment for offices to video conferencing equipment for meeting rooms, Dynamic Communications provides solutions that cater to every need. Their video conferencing systems include high-quality video conference cameras designed to deliver sharp visuals and clear audio. Whether you need equipment for a huddle room or a large conference space, you’ll find a tailored solution that fits your requirements.
The integration of tools like Airtame enhances collaboration, allowing teams to share screens wirelessly and effortlessly. Pair this with the intuitive Owl Cameras, which focus on active speakers, and you’ll have an immersive, tech-forward setup.
As a trusted video conferencing supplier, Dynamic Communications specializes in delivering solutions that are reliable, scalable, and easy to use. Whether it’s video conferencing equipment for conference rooms or all-in-one video conferencing hardware, their offerings empower businesses to stay connected.
Visit dynamiccom.co.za to explore a range of professional video conferencing equipment and elevate your meeting spaces today! With the right tools, your organization can achieve new levels of productivity and collaboration.
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Upgrade Your Modular Kitchen Design
Source of Info: https://www.regalokitchens.com/blog/upgrade-your-modular-kitchen-design
Introduction
In order to achieve the best space and features, developing an impressive modular kitchen design requires careful planning. Every design offers unique advantages that are suitable to changing kitchen layouts and user needs, ranging from U-shaped to L-shaped layouts. By staying aware of these layouts, you can design a kitchen that improves performance, storage, and beauty. Any room can be transformed into a comfortable cooking area with the help of Regalo Kitchens unique, flexible customized kitchen layouts.
Understanding the Modular Kitchen
A modern concept which uses ready-made cabinet parts or sections to create a fully functional kitchen known as a modular kitchen design. These components can be adjusted for almost any kind of kitchen design because they are accessible in many different kinds of sizes and shapes. The potential of an adjustable kitchen to effectively use space is its biggest advantage, it can make even the smallest kitchen appear bigger and more well-organized.
Reasons to Upgrade Your Modern Kitchen?
Modular kitchen design updates offer many advantages beyond looks. The following offer strong arguments for choosing kitchen remodeling:
Enhanced Functionality: Over time, the arrangement of your kitchen can grow ineffective. Remodeling allows you to organize the space for more effective cleaning and cooking processes.
Increased Storage: More storage choices, such pull-out cabinets, corner units, and vertical storage, can be added to modern kitchen design, ensuring that every available area is used effectively.
Improved Aesthetics: Your home's overall appearance can be greatly improved by a modular kitchen design. Modern cabinets, stylish countertops, and finishes may add excitement and ease of understanding to your kitchen.
Energy Efficiency: Making the change to energy-effective lighting and appliances reduces your power costs and the impact on the environment.
Increased Home Value: If you ever decide to sell, a well-designed modern cooking space can raise the value of your home and make it more appealing for future buyers.
Using Regalo Kitchens to Upgrade Your Kitchen
Starting the modular kitchen remodeling process may look stressful, but Regalo Kitchens makes it easy and enjoyable. This is an in-depth guide to get you started:
Consultation and Planning: Scheduling a meeting with the experts at Regalo Kitchens is the first step. To create a customized plan that fits your lifestyle, talk about your needs, hobbies, and financial situation.
Design and Layout: Based on the details you give, Regalo Kitchens designers will create a layout that improves usefulness while saving space. There will be a wide range of designs, materials, and finishes to choose from.
Material Selection: Choose premium materials for your walls, countertops, and cabinets. Regalo Kitchens offers a variety of alternatives, including stylish granite, durable laminates, and trendy ceramics.
Installation: The skilled team at Regalo Kitchens will start installation as soon as the materials and design are complete. Each module matches perfectly thanks to their careful attention to detail, which produces a stunning finish in modular kitchen design.
Final Touches: The crew will finalize the installation by adding hardware, lights, and any extra accessories you want. Before the project is completed, everything is carefully examined to ensure it is in great working condition.
Trends in Updating Modular Kitchen Design
Keeping up with the latest styles will make your kitchen appear more modern. The following are some common trends in remodeling modular kitchen design spaces:
Open Shelving: An accessible setting and easy access to commonly used items are provided by open shelves. They also offer an opportunity to display ornamental items.
Two-Tone Cabinets: Combining two different finishes or colors on the upper and bottom cabinets adds some interest and breaks up the boring appearance.
Smart Kitchens: Combining smart gadgets and appliances, such as voice-activated assistants and touchless taps, improves productivity and usefulness.
Sustainable Materials: Using eco-friendly resources, including recycled glass and materials, fits with the increasing knowledge of caring for the environment.
Minimalist Design: A modern and clean appearance is achieved by highlighting the basic plan with clean lines, light colors, and well-organized sections.
Reason to You Pick Regalo Kitchens
You can count on superior quality and service when you remodel your modular kitchen design with Regalo Kitchens. These are the things that make Regalo Kitchens unique:
Expertise and Experience: With years of experience in the industry, Regalo Kitchens has a reputation for producing outstanding kitchen designs.
Customized Solutions: Regalo Kitchens takes pride in offering customized solutions based on your unique requirements and tastes because every kitchen is different.
High-Quality Materials: Regalo Kitchens always uses the best materials for both durability and long-term use.
Professional Installation: The expert crew of Regalo Kitchens supervises each step of the installation procedure, making it a pleasurable experience.
Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction is important at Regalo Kitchens. Their focus on quality guarantees that every project surpasses expectations.
Conclusion
Modular kitchen design remodeling is a long-term investment that will pay off in terms of both functionality and appearance. You can transform your kitchen into the perfect space in terms of both design and practicality with Regalo Kitchens. Regalo Kitchens guarantees that by using premium materials and innovative design, your kitchen will become the highlight of your home. Don't hesitate any longer, begin upgrading your kitchen with Regalo Kitchens and get the rewards of a carefully designed compact kitchen.
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