#Wiz Research

[tefidacom]

Громкое открытие исследователей Wiz Research поставило под сомнение безопасность данных пользователей DeepSeek

Оказалось, что база данных нейронной сети была полностью открыта для доступа, что позволило злоумышленникам получить доступ к конфиденциальной информации. Этот инцидент является серьезным ударом по репутации DeepSeek и поднимает вопрос о безопасности подобных систем искусственного интеллекта. Компания пока не прокомментировала ситуацию, однако пользователи требуют прозрачности и принятия мер для предотвращения подобных инцидентов в будущем.

Подписывайтесь на наш канал:

https://t.me/tefidacom

[diagnozabam]

DeepSeek, Compromis de o Breșă Majoră de Securitate: Peste un Milion de Conversații Expuse Online

🚨 Un nou scandal de securitate zguduie lumea AI: DeepSeek, startup-ul chinez care a provocat neliniște pe burse la începutul săptămânii, a fost prins într-un incident grav de securitate. O bază de date neprotejată a fost descoperită expusă online, permițând accesul neautorizat la peste un milion de conversații private între utilizatori și chatbot-ul său, alături de informații tehnice…

[swordy-da-goat]

Some form concepts. Read more to see some tidbits on the designs.

Because they’re a wizard, all forms have a hat and (sometimes) neckwear to cover face. Wears gloves, boots, and a robe/uniform hybrid. Has a yellow arrow caution pattern somewhere. Tried to keep base colors at a minimum of 4.

Road- High visibility for lower chances of getting run-over in the dark. Will unfurl scarf and use as caution tape. More “wizard look” than the other forms. Takes off vest and scarf in more dangerous areas.

Rail- Denim jumpsuit helps with burn protection. Hat and bandanna also helps block the cinders. If the ash and heat gets too much, will equip goggles. Nicole is their conductor (she’s very reliable).

Air- Built for the heights and air pressure. Parachute has the yellow caution arrow pattern.

Just imagine other jobs like firefighter etc with the same gear but with the face obscured and traits from the info mentioned above.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Academic economists get big payouts when they help monopolists beat antitrust

After 40 years of rampant corporate crime, there's a new sheriff in town: Jonathan Kanter was appointed by Biden to run the DOJ Antitrust Divisoon, and he's overseen 170 "significant antitrust actions" in the past 2.5 years, culminating in a court case where Google was ruled to be an illegal monopolist:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/07/revealed-preferences/#extinguish-v-improve

Kanter's work is both extraordinary and par for the course. As Kanter said in a recent keynote for the Fordham Law Competition Law Institute’s 51st Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law and Policy, we're witnessing an epochal, global resurgence of antitrust:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/assistant-attorney-general-jonathan-kanter-delivers-remarks-fordham-competition-law-0

Kanter's incredible enforcement track record isn't just part of a national trend – his colleagues in the FTC, CFPB and other agencies have also been pursuing an antitrust agenda not seen in generations – but also a worldwide trend. Antitrust enforcers in Canada, the UK, the EU, South Korea, Australia, Japan and even China are all taking aim at smashing corporate monopolies. Not only are they racking up impressive victories against these giant corporations, they're stealing the companies' swagger. After all, the point of enforcement isn't just to punish wrongdoing, but also to deter wrongdoing by others.

Until recently, companies hurled themselves into illegal schemes (mergers, predatory pricing, tying, refusals to deal, etc) without fear or hesitation. Now, many of these habitual offenders are breaking the habit, giving up before they've even tried. Take Wiz, a startup that turned down Google's record-shattering $23b buyout offer, understanding that the attempt would draw more antitrust scrutiny than it was worth:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wiz-turns-down-23-billion-022926296.html

As welcome as this antitrust renaissance is, it prompts an important question: why didn't we enforce antitrust law for the 40 years between Reagan and Biden?

That's what Kanter addresses the majority of his remarks to. The short answer is: crooked academic economists took bribes from monopolists and would-be monopolists to falsify their research on the impacts of monopolists, and made millions (literally – one guy made over $100m at this) testifying that monopolies were good and efficient.

After all, governments aren't just there to enforce rules – they have to make the rules first, and do to that, they need to understand how the world works, so they can understand how to fix the places where it's broken. That's where experts come in, filling regulators' dockets and juries' ears with truthful, factual testimony about their research. Experts can still be wrong, of course, but when the system works well, they're only wrong by accident.

The system doesn't work well. Back in the 1950s, the tobacco industry was threatened by the growing scientific consensus that smoking caused cancer. Industry scientists confirmed this finding. In response, the industry paid statisticians, doctors and scientists to produce deceptive research reports and testimony about the tobacco/cancer link.

The point of this work wasn't necessarily to convince people that tobacco was safe – rather, it was to create the sense that the safety of tobacco was a fundamentally unanswerable question. "Experts disagree," and you're not qualified to figure out who's right and who's wrong, so just stop trying to figure it out and light up.

In other words, Big Tobacco's cancer denial playbook wasn't so much an attack on "the truth" as it was an attack on epistemology – the system by which we figure out what is true and what isn't. The tactic was devastatingly effective. Not only did it allow the tobacco giants to kill millions of people with impunity, it allowed them to reap billions of dollars by doing so.

Since then, epistemology has been under sustained assault. By the 1970s, Big Oil knew that its products would render the Earth unfit for human habitation, and they hired the same companies that had abetted Big Tobacco's mass murder to provide cover for their own slow-motion, planetary scale killing spree.

Time and again, big business has used assaults on epistemology to provide cover for unthinkable crimes. This has given rise to today's epistemological crisis, in which we don't merely disagree about what is true, but (far more importantly) disagree about how the truth can be known:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/25/black-boxes/#when-you-know-you-know

Ask a conspiratorialist why they believe in Qanon or Hatians in Springfield eating pets, and you'll get an extremely vibes-based answer – fundamentally, they believe it because it feels true. As the old saying goes, you can't reason someone out of a belief they didn't reason their way into.

This assault on reason itself is at the core of Kanter's critique. He starts off by listing three cases in which academic economists allowed themselves to be corrupted by the monopolies they studied:

George Mason University tricked an international antitrust enforcer into attending a training seminar that they believed to be affiliated with the US government. It was actually sponsored by the very companies that enforcer was scrutnizing, and featured a parade of "experts" who asserted that these companies were great, actually.

An academic from GMU – which receives substantial tech industry funding – signed an amicus brief opposing an enforcement action against their funders. The academic also presented a defense of these funders to the OECD, all while posing as a neutral academic and not disclosing their funding sources.

An ex-GMU economist, Joshua Wright, submitted a study defending Qualcomm against the FTC, without disclosing that he'd been paid to do so. Wright has elevated undisclosed conflicts of interest to an art form:

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/google-lawyer-secret-weapon-joshua-wright-c98d5a31

Kanter is at pains to point out that these three examples aren't exceptional. The economics profession – whose core tenet is "incentive matter" – has made it standard practice for individual researchers and their academic institutions to take massive sums from giant corporations. Incredibly, they insist that this has nothing to do with their support of monopolies as "efficient."

Academic centers often serve as money-laundries for monopolist funders; researchers can evade disclosure requirements when they publish in journals or testify in court, saying only that they work for some esteemed university, without noting that the university is utterly dependent on money from the companies they're defending.

Now, Kanter is a lawyer, not an academic, and that means that his job is to advocate for positions, and he's at pains to say that he's got nothing but respect for ideological advocacy. What he's objecting to is partisan advocacy dressed up as impartial expertise.

For Kanter, mixing advocacy with expertise doesn't create expert advocacy – it obliterates expertise, as least when it comes to making good policy. This mixing has created a "crisis of expertise…a pervasive breakdown in the distinction between expertise and advocacy in competition policy."

The point of an independent academia, enshrined in the American Association of University Professors' charter, is to "advance knowledge by the unrestricted research and unfettered discussion of impartial investigators." We need an independent academy, because "to be of use to the legislator or the administrator, [an academic] must enjoy their complete confidence in the disinterestedness of [his or her] conclusions."

It's hard to overstate just how much money economists can make by defending monopolies. Writing for The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner gives the rate at $1,000/hour. Monopoly's top defenders make unimaginable sums, like U Chicago's Dennis Carlton, who's brought in over $100m in consulting fees:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-09-24-economists-as-apologists/

The hidden cost of all of this is epistemological consensus. As Tim Harford writes in his 2021 book The Data Detective, the truth can be known through research and peer-review:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/04/how-to-truth/#harford

But when experts deliberately seek to undermine the idea of expertise, they cast laypeople into an epistemological void. We know these questions are important, but we can't trust our corrupted expert institutions. That leaves us with urgent questions – and no answers. That's a terrifying state to be in, and it makes you easy pickings for authoritarian grifters and conspiratorial swindlers.

Seen in this light, Kanter's antitrust work is even more important. In attacking corporate power itself, he is going after the machine that funds this nihilism-inducing corruption machine.

This week, Tor Books published SPILL, a new, free LITTLE BROTHER novella about oil pipelines and indigenous landback!

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/25/epistemological-chaos/#incentives-matter

Image: Ron Cogswell (modified) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:George.Mason.University.Arlington.Campus.jpg

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

[4evermutated]

bayverse! April headcanons

because i hate the way megan fox was sexualised in the movies i wanna give her more personality than just being hot and smart 😭 i heart u bayverse April

- she thrifts! not just expensive 'real vintage' designer labels but everything, she also finds clothes than can be easily upcycled and tweaked for the boys. Her signature color is yellow so you KNOW she has rare and whimsical pieces she collects in her wardrobe

- speaking of which; she sews! Mikey often rips or breaks his stuff (like shoes and shirts) and hes always giving her bits and pieces to fix up. As much as Donnie is a tech wiz, Aprils expertise lies in the art of DIY! shes tried to teach Don how to sew but ironically its one of the few things he cant crack

- shes a stem nut, OBVIOUSLY! her and Don bond the most over new technology and the advancement of science and digital technology. her and Don made her a pc from scratch and its one of her most precious memories

- April has a really bad sweet tooth, when the guys get pizza for the rare nights in, she's reaching for Mikeys candy stash for sure (she makes sure to replenish it with all their shared faves)

- her favourite candy is anything sour! but actually sour, we're talking throat numbingly sour to the point where at the end of the bag all you taste is blood 💀 it freaks everyone out lmao

- she has a masters in journalism and a degree social sciences, its so important to her to give visibility to the stories rarely talked about. Shes very dedicated to her profession and genuinely gets mad that all vern cares about is attention from fans and the camera

- April is also very passionate about nutrition and fitness! she goes total big sister mode when the turtles neglect their protein intake especially with how big and physically demanding their jobs are. a few times she's tried to teach Leo how to cook for his brothers and hes just about learned how to not burn eggs on toast but shell be damned if she starts cooking for 4 6ft men 😭 respectfully not her job!

- she's incredibly protective of her friends, whoever they may be, even Vern. she doesn't take lightly to disrespect and she WILL trash talk you to silence if you make anyone she cares about feel less than

- when she was younger she wanted to be a zoologist or anthropologist. Like her dad, she's always had a love for science and research, but she loved animals so much as a kid and it crushed her when she realised her father was experimenting on animals

- she feels personally responsible for the turtles and Splinter, she visits them atleast once a night, whether on face time or in person. the fact that they feel theyll never be accepted in society weighs heavy on her heart. she wishes things were different

- she knows Mikey has a crush on her, but she doesn't know how to let him down gently and honestly doesn't wanna open that can of worms, so she just pretends she doesn't notice his very desperate flirting

- sleeper build april. SLEEPER BUILD APRIL. people treat her like shes fragile just because she's beautiful but shes also incredibly strong with amazing endurance. i mean hello?! SHE CAN RUN IN HEELS. thats badass

- she loves game nights w the turtles and Casey, she loves playing MK and her go-to character is ofc Mileena (goated and no im not biased)

- she may or may not have a dedicated collection of disguises for super sleuthing and recon. shes very proud of it and will give a tour if asked

- she wants to learn ninjitsu, just doesn't know if she should ask or wait to be asked. she feels awkward and sometimes wonders if its not her place, even though in reality Splinter would be happy to train someone so dedicated to justice.

- her favourite drink is banana protein smoothie!! the lair has a smoothie just for her 😭 they have to hide it from Mikey before he gets back into his liquid pizza phase again

- she likes hero comics/shows (like 2012 leo!). Naruto was her childhood and its kinda beautifully ironic that she's like a ninja by proxy now

thats all for now! its been like 5 years since ive written headcanons so sorry if the format is boring, lmk if you want more headcanons! ok bai

[historicity-was-already-taken]

Q: Why so many posts about Wicked, on a history blog?

Casual A: I heard the NPR ad for Wicked for the first time at my grandma’s (ז״ל) house in 2002 or 2003. It was the first time I heard Defying Gravity and it was life changing. I was 12 or 13 and it’s a core memory and I just have a lot of feelings and also I miss my grandma.

Serious A: Far right, fascist-oriented governments are and have been in the rise the world over. The cinematic adaptation of this show is a phenomenal primer regarding the basics of how fascism takes root, and accumulates support. As an American Jewish Holocaust historian, that presentation strikes me as incredibly important and powerful, especially in terms of the film’s popularity (la la laaaaaaa la). Further, as an American work of fiction, cinematic adaptation of that fiction, AND THEN a work of revisionist fiction, theatrical adaptation of the revisionist fiction, and then cinematic adaptation of the theatrical, it’s a unique vehicle through which to comment on the American construction of the Feminine Other.

I also suspect there may be some conversation with The Wiz somewhere in the film, but I’d need to research that.

[overrboarrd]

sanctuary [1]: initium novum

firefighter!roman reigns x azure clarke [oc]

warnings: bodily injury, slight cussing, mentions of a hospital

word count: 3.3k

a/n: we made it to chapter one! just a smooth little chapter to kick things off. pls forgive any medical errors in this chapter, i did research to the best of my ability. but anyways, i hope yall like it! happy reading <3

The mid-morning sun cast a golden hue over the winding suburban streets as Azure maneuvered her car down the narrow lane, the weight of her life packed in boxes behind her. The soft hum of the engine barely registered over the pounding in her chest as she approached her new house in Pensacola. 

She hadn’t told many people she was moving. And only her parents and her best friend, Jade, knew why. It wasn’t as if she could explain it easily. She didn’t even know if it was the right decision. All she knew was that the three years since her husband’s death had felt like drowning, and she was desperate for air. So she had left the life they had built together—left the house that was filled with echoes of their love, the memories of his laugh, the phantom touch of his hand on her skin—and driven away.

A new start. That’s what she needed. No ghosts here.

Her house was tucked in the back of a quiet neighborhood, isolated enough to provide peace but not so far removed that she’d feel entirely alone. As she pulled into the driveway, Azure cut the engine and sat for a moment, taking in the sight before her. The house was modest, a one-story home with a decently-sized porch and a yard that needed a little attention, but it was hers. Or it would be once she stepped out of the car and claimed it.

She didn’t move.

Not yet.

Instead, she let her gaze drift to the rearview mirror to look across the street, where another house stood. It was slightly larger than hers, and there were a couple of cars parked in front of it. Two men, tall, tattooed and muscular, stood on the front lawn, laughing over something while a little girl, no more than five years old, ran in circles all over the grass. A woman stood not too far from them, with a contagiously warm smile and beautiful deep brown complexion. 

Azure smiled faintly. She had always loved children. Being a pediatric nurse had brought her comfort over the years, a way to focus on helping others instead of drowning in her own grief. Maybe in this new place, she could find some semblance of herself again.

 A sudden vibration pulled her from her thoughts. Her phone screen lit up with a slightly graying man holding the 2-year-old version of herself, the name ‘Pops’ with a blue heart emoji sat at the top of the screen. Azure smiled, pressing the answer button.

“What’s goin’ on Tink?” Her father’s deep voice came through the line, warm and reassuring. “You all settled in yet?”

“Hey Pops,” she said, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes for a moment, chuckling softly at the sound of her nickname before exhaling slowly. “Almost. I checked out of the hotel earlier this morning and grabbed most of my stuff from the storage place. I’m sitting in my car trying to muster the energy to take all these boxes.”

“Y’know, I would’ve been down there in a heartbeat to help if it wasn’t for this damn knee.” Her father’s voice was filled with regret, though she could hear the slight humor behind it. Eric had always been a man of action, being an Air Force veteran, and being stuck in recovery after knee surgery was a particular kind of torture for him.

“I know,” Azure said, a smile tugging at her lips. “It’s okay. I got this. You need to focus on getting better.”

“Well, I’ve got a new knee now, so I’m basically a bionic man,” he joked. “Once I’m fully up and runnin’, you won’t be able to keep me away.”

In the background, she could hear her mom, Anne, laughing.

“Bionic man? Chile, please,” her mom’s voice chimed in. “You’re more like the Tin Man from The Wiz, creaky joints and all. Next thing you know, you’ll need a can of oil just to get out the damn bed.”

“A ki-ki,” her dad replied, mockingly. “I might be old, but m’still quicker than you give me credit for.”

Azure laughed softly, the sound easing the tension in her chest. She could always count on her parents to make her feel better, no matter how much weight she was carrying. And right now, it felt like a mountain.

“How’s Ma doing?” Azure asked, knowing her mom could hear her.

“Surviving this old man, baby.” Anne called from the background, teasing as always. “Barely.”

“Be nice to him now,” Azure said, smiling as she imagined her mom giving her dad a playful shove. “You know you’d be lost without him.”

“Lost? I’d be free,” her mom shot back, chuckling.

“Sure you would,” her dad said dryly. “Anyway, you all settled in then?“

“Yeah, everything’s here. Might go out and grab a few more things later on.” Azure replied, leaning her head against the headrest, watching a couple of kids riding their bikes down the street. The neighborhood was peaceful, quiet. It was almost surreal how different it felt from her old life. “It’s a nice area, though. Feels... safe.”

Eric paused on the line, and Azure could sense what was coming next.

“You sure you’re okay? I mean... all this moving, leaving your job, your friends—it’s a big change. You don’t have to do it all alone, y’know?”

She bit her lip, grateful for his concern but also not wanting to get into the emotions she had been avoiding since making the decision to move. “I’m okay Pops. Really. It’s just... time. Time for something new. I think I need this.”

“I get it,” he said softly. “And you know your momma and I are just a phone call away if you ever need anything.”

“I know.” Azure’s voice caught slightly, but she cleared her throat. “I’ll call you guys later. Give Ma a hug for me.”

“I will. We love you baby .”

“Love y’all too.”

She ended the call and placed her phone in her lap, staring at the house again. Her new life, or at least the next chapter of it, was waiting behind that door. She just wasn’t quite ready to face it yet.

A gust of warm wind brushed against her face as she stepped out of the car, stretching her arms before looking up and down the street. Large trees lined the sidewalk and a variety of plants scattered across front lawns. It was so different from the city bustle she was used to. Azure tugged at the hem of her tank top, adjusting her sunglasses atop her head before taking a deep breath and heading towards the open trunk of her car. She began to place a few of the boxes on the ground, stacking them high enough to where she could carry them. She did her best to try to push the button that would close the trunk, before hearing a bit of commotion coming from across the street. 

“Go over there, you see her struggling!”

“Ow! Damn!”

“A’ight, a’ight! We goin’!” 

“Stop cussing in front of Audrey, Jey!” 

“Mmcht, that’s not even a bad word!”

Just as she managed to finally close her trunk, two men emerged from across the street with nervous yet easy-going smiles. They were dressed casually, both in basketball shorts and t-shirts, clearly enjoying the holiday weekend. The man, with two long cornrows and a wide grin, waved cheerfully. "You must be the new neighbor."

Azure forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt before setting the boxes on the concrete. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Jimmy,” he said, extending his hand. “And this is my brother, Jey.” The other brother, with a freshly shaped up mullet, and his twin from what she saw, gave her a small wave before continuing to soothe the side of his arm. “We live across the street... well, technically, our cousin lives there.”

 “As much as we over there that might as well be our house too.” Jey adds. “We just watching our lil’ cousin while he’s on call today.” 

Azure’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion.

“Firefighter.” 

“Yeah, you’ll see him runnin’ up and down the street with his shirt off, flexin’ his muscles eventually,” Jimmy joked, nudging Jey, who laughed along.

“Aye, speak for yourself,” Jey teased. “Uce is way too serious now for all that.” Before Azure could respond, Jimmy leaned against her car with an easy smile. “Need help with your boxes? My wife saw you strugglin’ over here.” He nodded his head towards the front yard where the woman and little girl continued to play. “We could help unload your stuff, we got some muscle.” He continued, slapping Jey’s arm in the same reddened spot Naomi had smacked him in earlier. 

Azure blinked, taken aback by their sudden friendliness. “Oh, you really don’t have to—”

“Nah, we insist,” Jey said, waving off her protest and playfully raising his hand at his brother. “We already out here, and you look like you got a lot of boxes.”

Jimmy nodded. “Yeah, looks like you in for a long weekend. Plus you'll get to meet more people if you not buried under a mountain of cardboard.”

Azure laughed softly, the sound surprising even herself. It had been so long since she’d laughed with anyone besides her family, and for a moment, the tightness in her chest loosened. “Okay, fine. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate the help.”

Jey clapped his hands before rubbing them together. “Yessir! Let’s get to it!”

She watched as Jimmy jogged across the street to say something to his wife before returning next to Azure’s car trunk. The twins grabbed the heaviest boxes and followed behind her as she unlocked her front door, holding it open as they stepped through. 

“You can just sit them down in here.” She pointed to the bare living room floor. 

They obliged, and the trio spent the next thirty minutes carrying Azure’s things into the house. As they hauled the last box inside, Azure took a moment and looked around. Her new home was still bare, with unpacked boxes scattered everywhere, but for the first time in a long while, it didn’t feel so overwhelming.

“Thanks so much, you guys,” she said, leaning against the doorframe. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Jimmy replied. “We know how it is, moving to a new place and all. Speakin’ of which—” He exchanged a glance with Jey, who smiled before turning back to Azure. “We’re havin’ a uh, small get together for Labor Day in a few days, before the kids gotta go back to school. You should come. Meet some more folks.”

“Yeah,” Jey added. “And I’m grilling. Best steaks you’ll ever have in your entire life.”

Azure hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll think about it. I’ve got a lot to get through with the move, but I’ll see if I can make it.”

“No pressure,” Jimmy said with a grin. “Just good food, good people, maybe a couple of bad jokes from baby bro here.”

“Nah, that’s all you, Uce,” Jey chimed in, shaking his head, laughing. “The rest of us are hilarious.”

Azure laughed, feeling some of the earlier tension in her chest loosen. It had been a long time since she’d been around anyone who didn’t know her story, her loss. The weight of it usually hung in the air, but with these two, it was easy—light.

“Thanks for the invite. I’ll try to stop by,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“No problem,” Jey replied. “And seriously, if you need help, just holla at ya uce!”

They exchanged goodbyes, and as Jimmy and Jey headed back across the street, Azure found herself watching them. The little girl, Audrey, ran to greet them, her small arms wrapped around Jimmy’s leg. Azure smiled again, the sight tugging at something deep inside her. She missed that kind of innocence, the unguarded joy children had.

She sighed, stepping back inside her house, the quiet suddenly pressing in around her again.

The move had been a good distraction, but the moment the door closed, the familiar pang of loss crept in. The weight she carried was never truly gone, even in new surroundings. She could feel it in the silence of the empty house.

But maybe this new place, this new life, could be different.

Maybe.

She removed her sunglasses from her head before putting her curly hair in a low bun, thinking of the cookout invitation. The idea of meeting new people was intimidating, but also strangely comforting.

She exhaled slowly. It was time to unpack, in more ways than one.

The emergency room was buzzing with activity, the usual rush of nurses, doctors, and paramedics filling the air with an almost palpable energy. The sterile smell of antiseptic hung in the air, a constant reminder that Azure was in a place of healing, yet one brimming with urgency. Azure stood beside Bianca, the lead nurse who was guiding her through her first few weeks at the hospital. Though she had worked at other medical facilities, Central Pensacola Children’s Hospital felt different. Everything was new—new routines, new people, and new expectations. The weight of her personal loss was something she carried, but the chaos of the ER was an easy distraction. She’d been a pediatric nurse for nearly five years, and while each day brought its own challenges, today felt different—more charged, somehow. Maybe it was the change of scenery, or maybe it was the lingering weight from the night before. Either way, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had settled deep in her chest.

She glanced at her watch, noting that it had only been three hours into her shift, but it already felt like a long day. Just as Azure was about to take a breather, the familiar sound of an ambulance pulling up to the emergency entrance flooded her ears. Instinctively she straightened, refocusing her attention. Moments later, the doors swung open, and a team of paramedics rushed in, wheeling a stretcher with a little boy whose cries echoed through the hallway.

Azure felt something shift in the air as another man entered the room. His presence was powerful—he carried himself with a quiet, commanding energy, but understated—like a steady flame that didn’t need to burn brightly to be felt. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with long dark hair that was pulled back yet slightly tousled.

Bianca nudged Azure forward as they moved towards the patient. "That’s our guy," Bianca muttered softly, not bothering to hide the slight admiration in her voice. "Roman Reigns. One of the best firefighters in the city. Always brings them in safe."

Azure took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand, but as she approached the gurney, her eyes inadvertently met Roman’s.

Roman’s gaze lingered on her for just a moment longer than she’d expected before he shifted back to the child. "Possible broken arm. Fell off the jungle gym at the park," Roman explained, his voice deep and steady. He had done this countless times, and yet there was something almost gentle in the way he spoke about the boy’s injury. "He’s been in a lot of pain, but he’s stable."

Azure nodded, moving to the boy’s side. "Hey there, little man." she said softly to the boy, who looked up at her with watery eyes. "We’re gonna get you all fixed up, okay?"

The boy gave a small, hesitant nod, still clutching his arm. Azure reached out carefully, making sure not to touch the injured area, and offered him a reassuring smile. Definitely a broken arm. Nothing life-threatening, but enough to send the boy into a fit of tears. Meanwhile, she could feel Roman’s eyes on her, watching her interact with the patient. It was strange—the way she felt under his gaze—not uncomfortable, just very noticeable.

As she stepped aside to let Bianca take over, Roman moved closer to Azure, close enough that she could feel the faint warmth of him. His voice was low when he spoke, almost like a murmur just for her. "You’re new here."

It wasn’t a question, just an observation. Azure glanced up at him, her heart skipping inexplicably. "Yeah," she replied, doing her best to keep her voice even. "Just started a couple weeks ago."

Roman nodded slowly, his eyes studying her for a moment longer before he shifted his attention back to the boy. "You did good with him," he said, his tone softer, almost approving. And then, as quickly as it began, the moment passed. He gave a short nod toward Bianca, who was now checking the boy’s vitals, and walked away from the gurney.

Azure busied herself with the task at hand, helping the little boy get settled in the examination room. But even as she worked, she was acutely aware of the man outside. She didn’t know why, but something about him tugged at her, a pull she couldn’t quite explain.

Minutes later, as she stepped out into the hallway to grab a few supplies, she found herself face to face with him. He was just leaving, handing off paperwork to the desk.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Everything okay with the kid?”

Azure nodded, suddenly feeling an odd flutter in her chest. “Yeah, just a broken arm. He’s a little scared, but he’ll be fine.”

Roman nodded, glancing back towards the room briefly. “Glad to hear it.” He paused, as if considering whether or not to say more. 

He opted against it, and as he walked away, Azure found herself standing there, staring after him for a moment before heading back to find Bianca. She didn’t know him—didn’t know anything about him—but something about the way he’d looked at her, the way he carried himself with a mix of strength and humility. She shook her head, pushing away the strange feeling that had taken root in her chest, but the pull lingered, deep in the back of her mind, refusing to let her go.

Bianca approached her as the boy was wheeled to X-ray, giving Azure a sly smile. "You’ve got good instincts," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And good job keeping him calm. You're doing great, girl."

Azure smiled, appreciating the praise. "Thanks, Bianca."

Just as they began to walk back to the station, Dr. Rollins, the lead pediatric doctor, approached them. He gave Bianca a brief nod before turning his attention to Azure. "Nice work today, Azure. I know things have been pretty fast-paced the past couple of weeks, but you’ve handled it well."

"Thank you, Dr. Rollins," Azure replied, her voice steady, though her mind was still on Roman’s fleeting but intense presence.

Bianca nudged her again, playfully this time. "Looks like you’ve caught some attention already," she teased as they walked toward the nurse’s station.

Azure gave a light laugh, shaking her head. "It’s nothing like that."

"Mhm, sure," Bianca grinned knowingly. "But, hey, I’m just saying… Dr. Rollins's not the easiest person to impress. If he noticed you, it’s something."

Azure forced a smile but didn’t respond. As they walked away from the trauma bay, Azure couldn't shake the anxious feeling of this new beginning.

———

Dear Brother, I hope this letter finds you well as always,  I know it’s been a while, I’ve been real busy lately. I met someone recently, and I don’t know what it is, but… there’s just something that I can’t shake. There’s this… feeling, maybe a good feeling? I don’t know. It's throwing me off. Haven’t felt it before. It’s hard to explain, but it’s not something I can just brush off. I’m not sure where this will go, but I’ll write to you once I know more. I miss you. I think about you often, especially when things get tough. It feels strange sometimes, like I’m starting this new chapter on my own, but knowing you’re out there somewhere, helps me feel less alone. I love you, I’ll make time to write to you sooner. I promise.

[dystopyx-blog]

Hey I didn't see any requesting rules. I'm sorry if you posted them before but I didn't see them. I completely understand if this is too much. (Ngl I've thought about writing it myself)

I was wondering if you could write about a symptom with a reader who has a form of Conversion disorder/ A form of Fnd?

It's a umbrella term but to put it into words for what it; it is when a person experiences temporary physical symptoms, such as blindness or paralysis, that do not have a physical cause. While the exact cause of conversion disorder is unknown, researchers believe it occurs in response to stressful situations or trauma.

I personally have problems with my legs not moving at all for inconsistent periods of time.(Could be 5 mins or 3 hours) (Dw I'm fine I have a mobility aid)

So my question is which yandere twst boy do you think would take advantage of the whole leg thing most?

Once again I completely understand if this is out of your comfort zone and sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just really like your work

Y’know what maybe I should make requesting rules aksnsjsjsjsjd but I’m lazy

Speaking of lazy

Leona, no question. I have a very specific situation in mind—where you’re in the botanical gardens, standing over him, probably yapping

and then your legs give out underneath you

and Leona just… yoinks you…

you’re his pillow now.

BUT HE’S SUCH AN ASS ABOUT IT, TOO

If you nag him or just talk ‘too much’ (in his opinion) he’ll say something awful like “why can’t your moth stop working too?” if you’re sensitive like me and then cry about it, he would probably not make that comment.

Floyd is bad about it too…

you’re unable to walk so he just scoops you up and carries you with him. He’ll skip his own classes to get you where you need to go, but he will NOT put you down until your legs are fine again. And if you try to be all “oh Floyd what about your classes? :(“ He’ll just take you with him to his classes, so you miss yours. He is also very condescending about it :( and unlike Leona, he doesn’t really understand when enough is enough. Might have to complain to Jade or Azul if he goes too far with his comments or ‘jokes’.

Now imagine… you get taken to twst, and you still have conversion disorder, but no mobility aid. Crowley ain’t gonna help you. That’s just facts. So you go to Mr tech wiz on campus, Idia Shroud. But but but… he doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to be building for you 🥺 and he wants to get it right…. So you HAVE to stay with him whenever he works on it!! So he can get it right for you!!! Yeah you’re not getting a mobility aid. Man’s won’t even finish a fucking walker or wheelchair or walking stick for you, because it’ll never be “just right” or “perfect” enough for you…

Really this is just his way of ensuring you have to hangout with him. He just likes you so much 🥺👉👈

tbh this has just inspired me to do a getting trapped in twisted wonderland but without you meds and also everyone is yandere thingie

[argumate]

Within minutes, we found a publicly accessible ClickHouse database linked to DeepSeek, completely open and unauthenticated, exposing sensitive data. It was hosted at oauth2callback.deepseek.com:9000 and dev.deepseek.com:9000. 

This database contained a significant volume of chat history, backend data and sensitive information, including log streams, API Secrets, and operational details.  

More critically, the exposure allowed for full database control and potential privilege escalation within the DeepSeek environment, without any authentication or defense mechanism to the outside world. 

lol

[mumms-the-word]

Gale and Mystra (and Mystra, and Mystra...)

I did a rabbit hole deep dive into this a few days ago and I have Thoughts. Prepare for long/researched explanations (and by researched I mean I read a lot of wikis and scraps of lore books/novels)

So Mystra dies in the Forgotten Realms something like three times (the “official” number is wibbly because there are many writers messing with Forgotten Realms lore and they don’t always agree). She dies in -339 DR, and then again in 1358 DR, and then kind of again a few months later. Allegedly she stayed dead until 1479-1480, which is roughly 12 years prior to the events of Baldur's Gate 3, but didn't get her body back until 1487, which is 5 years before BG3, which takes place in 1492 (if we're going by the Baldur's Mouth Gazette year).

So...what do we do with that and the current popular theory that Gale was groomed as a child?

If it sounds complicated, don't worry, it's more complicated than you think. Welcome to my TEDTalk. More under the cut.

Mystryl, the first goddess of magic (like, ever) dies hundreds of years prior to the events of BG3 during the Karsus/Netheril debacle. Karsus tried to steal her deity/power and succeeded only to realize his mortal body/mind couldn’t contain or control that much power. Mystryl sacrificed herself (her essence, her power) to keep it out of Karsus’s incapable hands. The Weave went wonky for an indeterminate but brief amount of time, during which the floating cities of Netheril crashed to the ground. This happens in -339 DR, over ~1700 years before BG3. Gale tells us a brief version of this story in his standard dialogue. It's also established lore in campaign books.

Mystryl was reborn as Mystra (still in -339 DR), and this Mystra lasted for AGES. This Mystra is the mother of all magic, the Mystra we basically think of as BG3’s Mystra. This is the Mystra that met and claimed Elminster as one of her Chosen (later they became lovers, it's a whole thing).

But this is complicated. Because in 1358 DR…she dies too.

Long story short, for a brief moment, the Overgod Ao forced all gods to walk Faerûn in their mortal avatar forms and denied them entry into heavens (this was called the Times of Troubles, very complicated, the point is, gods were walking the earth as mortals). Mystra decided to fight Helm, the god guarding the stairway into the heavens, and got promptly smote.

Smitten? Smited? Whatever. Helm DESTROYED her. Death #2.

This time, Ao chose a mortal girl named Midnight to replace Mystra. He imbued Midnight, a wizard girl who worshipped Mystra, with Mystra's powers (Mystra conveniently left an amulet behind with some of her power contained within). Incidentally, the Weave didn't die this time like it did the first time. Convenient!

Midnight-Mystra lasts less than a year before Shar and Cyric (god of trickery) kill her and the Spellplague happens. The Spellplague is basically 10 years of magic going haywire and the Weave kind of ceasing to exist. Again. It's complicated.

Ignoring that some Forgotten Realms writers insist the Spellplague didn't happen, BG3 says it DID. One book in BG3 states:

In the infamous, calamitous year of 1385 DR, a conspiracy between the goddess of darkness, Shar, and the god of trickery, Cyric, sought to end Mystra's control over the Weave and influence over the realms by cravenly assassinating her. But instead of merely breaking the goddess of magic's dominance, her death threw the Weave into utter chaos and collapse. Magic spells faltered, or failed entirely. Countless spellcasters were killed or driven insane... Toril would face nearly a hundred years of upheaval before Mystra could return once again, reinstated as goddess of magic in 1480 DR, thanks to the efforts of the legendary wizard, Elminster Aumar and the events of the Second Sundering...

(Curiously Gale’s Countermeasure Abberation at the Netherbrain fight is called Spellplague so...do with that whatever you want. I mean, I know that’s the Countermeasure for ANY wizard in the party but it feels particularly interesting for Gale. Also we're going to ignore the Second Sundering in this post because that's a whole different rant, just know that the Second Sundering means the state of the world and the pantheon of gods basically got soft reset and then locked into place. Which is why it was important for Mystra to return before that happened, or else she would have gotten locked out of returning at all.)

As far as I can tell, between 1385 and 1479, Mystra was silent. Maybe dead, maybe not. There's some suggestion that she existed in the Weave, because other than the Spellplague period, the Weave still existed. The fact that the Weave exists separately from Mystra is important mostly because Shar wants to turn it into the Shadow Weave, which she can't do if Mystra is alive and maintaining control over the Weave. And if Shar can't control the Weave even while Mystra is silent for 100ish years, then...well. Mystra must not be dead-dead.

More importantly than Shar Politics, her being maybe-dead for almost 100 years means she wasn't whispering in the minds of her Chosen the way gods like her normally do. The wikis mention a comic ("Lord of the Darkways") where Mystra spoke directly to Elminster's mind, but that's the only instance before 1479. Mystra was SILENT before 1479...or at least, very, very, very quiet.

So what happens in 1479? Well, long story short, according to the novel Bury Elminster Deep, Elminster travels to a cave where there is a bear carrying some Mystra's remaining essence/power. Why a bear? I have no idea. Point is, she speaks directly to Elminster and confirms that she is, indeed, Mystra. Specifically, she's pre-Midnight Mystra and also...changed into a newish Mystra.

This is some of what Elminster thinks/says when he's speaking with her and notices she's guarding some artifacts:

“Ye collected these things when ye were Midnight?” El blurted, trembling in a sudden chaos of wanting to know so much, yet not knowing what he dared ask. Her love—or at least fondness—was in his head and all around him, but something was subtly different in it, a distance that had not been there once, or rather one that had grown since Midnight had ascended to replace the Mystra his far younger self had first touched and tasted. Gone was the Mystra whose mind would long ago have merged with his to let them converse wordlessly, thoughts flashing.

Bear!Mystra has been guarding things that Midnight!Mystra collected, things that were important to Mystra!Mystra. Confusing, I know. So who is this current Mystra, speaking to Elminster as a bear? This is the Mystra that would then go on to become lovers with Gale.

Now, I'd argue it's basically all the same Mystra. There was Mystryl and then there was Mystra in her many forms. The Mystra that become lovers with Elminster when she selected him as her Chosen 1300 years ago is the same Mystra that took Gale as a lover too—even if she's died and transformed a couple of times.

It’s worth noting that the novels also sort of mingle all the Mystras into one. In the next novel, Elminster Enraged, when another character called the Simbul (another Chosen of Mystra who is also Mystra’s daughter) is speaking with Mystra, they talk about how Mystra has memories both of previous Mystras and of several Chosen. When the Simbul asks if Mystra can sense her current Chosen, Mystra confirms that she can sense her daughters and Elminster.

“Wasn’t that the Mystra before you?” The Simbul dared to ask. Echoes in the Weave, my daughter, echoes in the Weave…we see and feel so much that happened before us, in the Weave; it becomes part of us, the memories of the Mystra who birthed you becoming part of me, so I become that Mystra…

Anyway. Mystra is Mystra. Basically the same Mystra she's been since the fall of Netheril. Why does that matter? Well.

When Elminster is talking to bear-Mystra, she gives him a command: “I charge you to preserve magic wherever and whenever you can” and also; “Recruit new Chosen and gather them here for me to confer with. I need many, and they must be different from my daughters and from each other…and above all, I must have those I can trust.”

Okay, granted, this specific command probably doesn't apply to Gale. Gale never talks about being gathered as Chosen to help usher in Mystra's return. Remember, she's gathering Chosens so she can restore herself to godhood before Ao clicks the "Save" function on his universe post-Second Sundering. That's what this command is referring to.

Elminster does end up choosing several potential Chosen for Mystra (plus he goes on to steal a whole bunch of magic and gives it to Mystra to restore her back to godhood; this happens at the end of Elminster Enraged). Elminster spends part of Bury Elminster Deep, Elminster Enraged, and The Herald (three back-to-back novels) gathering Chosen or...well, killing corrupt Chosen and stealing their power to give back to Mystra. Mystra begins speaking into the minds of those who worship her in Elminster Enraged (around 1480) and the end of that novel has her appearing as a very grand spirit type of lady, but she's only seen restored to her actual corporeal goddess body at the end of The Herald, which is set in 1487.

So what does this have to do with Gale??

Simple. I have two theories.

Theory 1: Larian just ignores timelines and maybe wanted to create a new grooming narrative for Gale

Listen, Larian has a ton of writers and not every writer can be expected to maintain ALL of the lore Ed Greenwood and other writers wrote for the campaign books and novels. The Forgotten Realms is like 40+ years old. It's been through every iteration of D&D rules. Mystra dies every time the Wizards of the Coast revamps their magic rules, to the point where Ed Greenwood literally had Elminster say, in one of his novels, “I think Mystra’s fall was part of a cycle fated to happen again and again, as the Weave—as all magic of this world—needs renewal.” Elminster fourth-wall calls out a "fated cycle" that is just WOTC remixing magic rules.

Hell, maybe Larian knew that and wanted Gale to be part of the next cycle of Mystra-death-and-rebirth. Raphael certainly suggests something similar if Gale ascends to godhood and plans to usurp Mystra. That's a rant for a different post.

Anyway. Point is, it's a lot of lore, and a lot of it contradicted itself before Larian ever got their hands on it. The writers knew enough to know that Mystra picks Chosens all the time and that she's been known to be lovers with her Chosens. They probably took that and ran with it. Gale was chosen by Mystra and become lovers with her and the timelines don't matter, and maybe there are hints that Mystra groomed him as a kid. Maybe Larian just ignored Ed Greenwood's lore that Mystra didn't speak to any of her followers until like 12 years before the game. That's fine!

But if that theory doesn't seem to vibe, consider theory 2 (which for the purposes of this analysis suggests Gale is a cool 35 for convenient math):

Theory 2: Gale didn't actually hear or meet a corporeal Mystra until he was a consenting adult (NOTE: this does not necessarily mean he wasn't groomed)

Brief timeline, again.

1385, Mystra and Midnight both die and anything resembling a goddess of magic goes silent for nearly 100 years. Early 1400s? Elminster hears Mystra's voice but she's otherwise silent for everyone else 1479, Elminster meets Bear!Mystra, begins finding other Chosen of Mystra and gathering power for Mystra 1480ish, Elminster restores power to Bear!Mystra and she Officially Returns (but like, quietly and we still haven't seen her body, she seems to be just spirit and stardust) 1487, Mystra now has a body because she does this Big Reveal at the end of The Herald by entering a room where five of her Chosen are

If Gale is 35 in 1492, then he was 30 when she "officially" had a body again, and 23 when she begins speaking to her Chosen (or those who worship her more broadly) after a century of silence.

Obviously this theory breaks the current ongoing theory that Mystra revealed herself to Gale when he was 8, or at least a young child. However, does the game really support that theory either? Elminster's letter to an ascended God!Gale only says:

Do you recall the day we first met, m’boy? You could have been no more than eight summers’ old, clutching your mother’s apron…

He doesn't say anything about telling Gale that he is a Chosen at the age of 8 or that Mystra personally has an interest in him. Maybe Elminster was just wandering around and met Gale, or perhaps someone wrote to Elminster to tell him there's an exceptionally talented mage boy that he should meet. Elminster doesn't tell us the circumstances of the meeting, so we'll never know. The one thing we do know is that Elminster has known about Gale since Gale's childhood. There's just nothing in his letter proves that Mystra was actively speaking to Gale when he was 8, or even telling Elminster to choose Gale that young.

Keep in mind, if Gale is 35 in 1492, then he was 8 in 1465, well before Elminster had gotten the charge to maintain the Weave and select new Chosens for Mystra.

Then of course we have Minsc's comment that:

While the girl-folk go on to rule as wychlaran, Weave-touched boys were hidden away. Trained to work their craft in silence and secrecy. It is an old custom, not well-observed. In truth I thought it born of caution, after some catastrophe wrought by wizardly men-folk of old. Now I wonder if it was not done to hide them from Mystra, and the snares she sets for young and prideful boys, hm?

I want to point out that this idea that the Rashemi people hide Weave-touched boys from Mystra's sight is completely new lore. Ed Greenwood explained a bit of how he views vremyonni boys/men being secluded in a series of tweets from 2020. Basically, because a wychlaran (female witch) is also a kind of ruling/religious class in the Rashemi culture, male spellcasters create a power imbalance, especially because they have access to more powerful spells than the female spellcasters. To combat this, male spellcasters are hidden away to avoid political imbalance and end up serving as enchanters/weaponsmiths for the wychlarans. Or they leave and become wizards elsewhere.

The idea that the Rashemi hide the boys away to either a) protect them from Mystra's icky amorous tactics or b) protect their communities from Mystra encouraging grand, destructive ambition in their menfolk, is probably unique to BG3 alone...and that's if we can take what Minsc says at face value.

Can we?

Minsc proves time and again he doesn't think much of wizards. The only thing he likes about Gale is that he can explode. I think he mistrusts male spellcasters in general because of his culture. So his comment could just be Minsc taking a jab at Gale while also not accurately representing his culture (possibly by offering an explanation that he just hasn't thought through all that thoroughly).

The fact that he says "young and prideful boys" is curious, regardless. Does he view Gale as a boy, because Gale is technically younger than Minsc by several decades thanks to Minsc being a statue for a while? Is it derogatory? Is it a remark to say that Gale's ambition is a bit juvenile, as wizard ambitions tend to be? Who knows. Minsc's dialogue isn't always as surface-level as it appears.

So...was Gale groomed?

I guess that depends on your definition of grooming. Adult-to-adult grooming is absolutely a thing. It's a cycle of manipulation, isolation, and gaslighting that leaves one person, the victim, in a twisted, unequal relationship with their abuser. So, yeah, Gale absolutely was groomed by his goddess. Point blank. Period. She rewarded his magical talent with sexual/emotional intimacy. He responded with love, intimacy, adoration, etc., that she was incapable of reciprocating as his equal, because of her power of authority over him (over all wizards) yet she used it to her advantage, and then tossed him aside when it became inconvenient for her. Absolutely she groomed him, and she's an abuser.

But if we're merging Forgotten Realms lore and timelines with BG3 timelines, then our understanding of Gale's perspective of all this shifts a little. Instead of a child chasing after a goddess who is stringing him along, it becomes Gale, the child prodigy, desperately trying to understand magic in a world where the goddess of magic is silent, possibly dead, and the Weave is trying to repair itself after a devastating Spellplague a few decades earlier. It becomes Gale in his teens, not understanding why the others think he's so odd for burying himself in his studies to impress a goddess who might not even care, if she's even alive. It becomes a young adult Gale overwhelmed with awe at the first rumors that Mystra might finally, finally be back, and hearing her voice for the very first time. It becomes Gale, in his late twenties, finally staring into the face of his goddess, someone he's had blind faith in before he even knew for certain she was capable of hearing his prayers. It becomes mid-thirties Gale, who has grown up with a patchwork Weave and a missing goddess, plotting to restore even more power to her by finding an elusive bit of errant Weave and making the biggest mistake of his life. It becomes a story of Gale who probably looked forward to the return of Mystra with so much awe and longing, only to be used and cast aside by her within a dozen years of her return to godhood.

No wonder he felt that godhood was not only well within his grasp, but that he could be a more deserving kind of god.

It's not a perfect theory, and a lot of Gale's dialogue suggests he was a young man, probably early 20s, when he began an intimate relationship with Mystra. He also implies that she spoke to him for some time before they ever became intimate. He describes her first as the Mother of Magic, and then his teacher, and then his muse, and then his lover. So what are we to believe?

Well...that's the frustrating beauty of D&D and Forgotten Realms and Baldur's Gate I guess. The lore is wibbly wobby and malleable. You do what you want with it.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

My Little Tech Wiz 🛠 | Peter Hale Headcanon

Link to my Teen Wolf Masterlist

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

This going slightly off of canon because I’m erasing the fact Peter teamed up with Kate in S4. Basically imagine he forgone those plans because he realized you were worth more than petty vengence.

Being Stiles’ genius cousin who likes to invent gadgets and is romantically involved with Peter would look like:

Picture this: you’re Stiles’s older cousin and like he is an excellent detective, you are a genius inventor. Ever since you could pick things up with your hands you’ve been drawn to creating new things. Play-do, Legos, craft materials. That’s all you wanted to play with as a child because you could build and create different things from them. As you got older you had a keen for math and physics to the point where teachers were telling your parents to have you IQ tested. When you eventually did do the test, it came back you were a literal genius. Shortly after your parents built you a workshop in the storage shed they never used—you basically lived in your backyard because you were there every moment of free time you had. Only downside is your parents forbid you from putting a bed, kitchenette, and installing a bathroom—because then you would actually move out there.

While Beacon Hills was your home, you couldn’t say no to the opportunity of a lifetime when MIT offered you a full ride to their program. Double majoring in Physics & Mechanical Engineering, you graduated MIT at 21 years old, and went on to complete your Master’s and PhD just after you’re 25th birthday. The next six years you stayed on the east coast dedicated to scientific research and creating your own inventions while also teaching at MIT.

Quickly you became known in the field—considering you developed an Artificial intelligence robot named Pluto as part of your dissertation who operated on its own and looked like a real-life version of WALL-E. He was your little buddy and helped you in the workshop and office. “Y—Y/n…” “Yes you’re right—there’s something missing in the equation.”

What brought you back to Beacon Hills was a frantic call from Stiles’ father, your uncle, Noah. Though you & Stiles had quite the age gap between you—roughly fifteen years—he was always looked up to you and was fascinated by your inventions. He was only a small child when you left for college, but when his family would visit yours he was like your little shadow. Always asking questions and wanting to help you. So when Noah calls in evident distress saying Stiles was admitted to the Eichen House and he may have FTD you were on the first plane out to California. When you arrived Noah brought you back to the house and briefly explained to you the situation—leaving out the tiny fact it was possibly a dark fox spirit possessing the teenager.

You were pretty oblivious to a lot of weird things in Beacon Hills, however, you always had that deep intuition that something was going on. As long as it didn’t directly affect you, you tended to turn a blind eye to stuff that looked odd or didn’t have a clear explanation for why it happened. So when Stiles was void and interacted with you there was nothing that made you assume it wasn’t him. You literally went about your conversations with him like it was any other day. It wasn’t until you witnessed the Nogitsune split from Stiles in Scott’s living room that you audibly yelled, “What the fuck?!” Which had everyone, especially Stiles, shitting themselves because 1: most of them had no idea you were there, 2: most didn’t know who you were, and 3: you just saw something you shouldn’t have and they couldn’t lie about it.

That was where you first met Peter. In the middle of Scott’s living room as he held down Stiles, who was covered head-to-toe in gauze, on the couch. With your jaw dropped and staring wide eyed like you just witnessed the second coming of Jesus. You couldn’t even appreciate the hunk openly checking you out because you were too flabbergasted with what had happened. “I knew this town had weird shit going on—b-but my cousin throwing up himself was not what I had in mind!” Melissa was quick to usher everyone out while Stiles—the real one—and Scott did their best to explain in less than two minutes before they had to haul ass to find Lydia and Void Stiles.

When everything calms down and seems to be going back to normal, you end up deciding to move back to Beacon Hills. You’re research was independent so there was no need to stay at MIT for funding—plus you made enough throughout the year by doing seminars and being a field expert that you could make do with setting up shop back home and focus on your inventions. Purchasing your own two-story loft penthouse, the first floor was the actual living space whereas the entire second floor was your workshop. Stiles loved visiting you, and whenever he needed to hide something from his dad you were the first person he went to.

One day you were working on your newest project, mask on and blowtorch in hand, when the pack (plus Peter) walked in. All of them were pretty much in awe of your workshop—in disbelief by the holograms and robots around them. Little Pluto scurried past them on a mission to retrieve a part you needed, everyone minus Stiles watching in wonder. Their arrival surprised you, a audible yelp leaving your mouth when Stiles came up behind you—only for him to yelp as well when you nearly took his face off with the blowtorch. “Hey! Hey! Watch it!” “You know better than to sneak up on me like that Stiles! You remember what happened to Uncle Larry when he did?” The pack stated their business, which was the Deadpool situation and wanted to know if you could potentially trace the location given your system was very advanced.

After telling them it may take a while with the little information they currently had (and they were going to be late for class since it was their lunch hour they had used to come see you) everyone except Peter and Derek left with the two Hale’s saying they’d wait in case something were to pop up. It gave Peter the perfect excuse to try and talk to you—-and if we’re being honest it was likely for malicious intents in the beginning. Mostly it was to see what benefits you’d bring him by befriending you and how your creations could be used against the pack.

So yeah, Peter didn’t have the best intentions when he first started talking to you, but that disappeared within the first day of knowing you. It started when he felt a tug on his plant leg, glancing down to see Pluto gazing up at him. “Peteeeer.” “Uhhh—.” “He’s asking if you’d like something to drink.” “Him? You…you can understand him?” “Of course I can. He’s my child.” That sparked a conversation lasting several hours to the point he forget why he was even there in the first place. Also he couldn’t help but find it attractive when you corrected him after he addressed you as Mr./Ms. Stilinksi in a playful manner and you went, “Uh it’s Doctor to you, buddy.”

When y’all officially started dating the pack was not happy about it—especially your uncle and Stiles. The rest of the pack had taken a liking to you rather quickly and they knew how Peter was, so you can imagine they were worried. “He has literally murdered people, Y/n. Not by accident—premeditated murder.” “Did they deserve it?” “I-Uh I guess—in his eyes yes. Some of it was because they started something with him.” “Then I don’t see the issue then—.” “Are you serious?!”

As an official member of the pack, you design and create gadgets, weapons, and tools for them. For example, you’re the one who created Kira’s retractable Katana belt. She was in absolute awe when you unveiled it to her, “This is so cool!” “And wanna know the best part? It can get through metal detectors.” After discovering Parrish’s nature, you made it your mission to make a special custom uniform made out of a very rare and expensive fire retardant fabric you created. “This way you’re not burning off all your clothes every time you catch fire.”

Peter loved watching you work. And he could listen to you talk about mechanics and physics for hours. He had a special seat that was close to you but not in your way and would watch in admiration as you rushed to map out equations and blueprints. Expect him to bring you a Red Bull, coffee, lunch and even dinner on days your extra busy. That usually was when you had a deadline to meet, so Peter was also a voice of reason by telling you take breaks, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep. “You’re going to burn yourself out, sweetheart. And if you do that then mistakes happen.” “I know but I’m so close to finishing this—.” “And tomorrow is the perfect time to get that done. So let’s sit, eat, put on a movie and then sleep the night away.”

Oh y’all’s first kiss happened when you were rambling. It was either you confessing your feelings to him or going off about how your work’s been stressing you out when Peter cuts you off mid sentence by pressing his mouth to yours. He’d been waiting what felt like forever to kiss you, and you were just so adorable in your rambling he couldn’t help himself. And boy does he love kissing you—he can’t get enough of it. Only thing is Pluto will tug on y’all’s pant leg to interrupt when he needs your attention on something. And the little robot is just too cute even Peter can’t get upset at him.

If you get hurt due to a malfunction Peter is there to take your pain even if its small or rush you to the emergency room if its bad. “Peter, we could’ve handled this at home.” “You nearly severed your finger off, Y/n…..” There is always a sense of worry in Peter when you’re working on something big. After an accident that caused a mini explosion in your workshop when he wasn’t there has left Peter stressing that he’s gonna walk into your place on fire. He’s not the only one in his worries, Stiles and your uncle end up forming a ‘civilized relationship’ with the beta when it comes to making sure you’re in one piece.

Eventually the werewolf learns to communicate with your robots. Really Pluto is the one he understands the best—and the little guy is his favorite of the bunch. “Peeeeteer.” “I thought you said roses were their favorite?” “Peterrrr.” “Oh well then, sorry for misunderstanding. But roses and daisies are two different types—I thought you were supposed to be the most intelligent thing on the planet?” “Peter!” “I’m sorry, that was out of line.”

Malia really likes you. Even after her and Stiles break up you two remain close. In fact she comes to you for advice often—not just about boy or pack troubles but also about her relationship with Peter. It pleases her to know he’s genuine in his affections towards you, considering love and caring nature is not a side any of them ever see. Only you get to see that side of him, but on rare occasions when Malia is present she’s witnessed the soft side of her father. Like when assists you on holding a part while you screw it in place or take a tissue to wipe the food on the corner of your mouth. “He was never like that before he met you. From what Stiles and Scott have said, he was practically a menace to society.” “Oh I can assure you he still is…just a lovable one when I’m nearby.” “Stop talking about me. I’m literally right here.”

Peter is very protective of you. He’s the type of boyfriend who’s like, “who did this to you?” Or “touch them, you die.” This is pretty much how the pack realized he was serious about his feelings for you because when Theo targeted you as a way to hurt the pack, Peter about ripped him to shreds until Scott pulled him away. “You got lucky,” he spits at the boy, “there won’t be a next time. Touch them again—no you so much as breathe in their direction and I will rip your throat out with my teeth.” That night ended with the man snuggling against you on your bed, promising to never let anything bad happen to you.

“You might be the big bad wolf, but you’ve got a heart in you, Peter Hale.” “Don’t be fooled, my little tech wiz. That heart is reserved only for you.”

[polo-drone-070]

The cursed chain - part 2

3. Quelling the rage

I stormed out of the gym, fists clenched and breath coming fast. The shame of what had just happened gnawed at me, mixing with this inexplicable rage simmering under my skin. How could I face the other bros after what I’d almost done to Leander? But the anger wouldn’t let up; it pulsed through me, like violent wave, fueling from my frustrations. I was overwhelmed by a need to hit something and let my muscles loose, like, every muscles of my body was aching to express so raw power. If I was to control that and not break lose in the streets, I had to channel it into something brutal, but controlled. Yes. I knew what I needed : a brutal, all-out workout.

Rushing to the gym, I threw myself into the exercises, barely pausing between sets, sweat pouring as I powered through deadlifts, bench presses, squats—anything to burn it all out. Each rep strained my muscles, matching the intensity of the fury within, letting me forget, even if just for a moment, what I’d done in the ring. I didn’t want to think about the stunned look in Leander’s eyes or the disappointment in Herc’s voice. Every weight I slammed down felt like a punch against my frustration, each set a way to quiet the shame.

But no matter how much weight I lifted, the rage stayed, simmering right under the surface. And that warmth from the collar—it was back, stronger now, filling me with a restless energy I couldn’t shake. It was like the collar itself was daring me, telling me I hadn’t been strong enough—that if I’d only given in completely, nothing would’ve stood in my way.

After an hour of this, exhaustion finally forced the rage back into a restless murmur. I collapsed onto the bench, drenched in sweat, staring down at the collar around my neck, its shine almost mocking me. Something was definitely wrong.

I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. “Brody bro wil no wot 2 do.”

4. Brody's investigation

Brody was chilling in the team lounge, studying some stats from our last match when I found him. As I walked in, he looked up, probably noticing how wrecked I looked.

“Hey, Henry, Sup?” he asked, a slight smirk on his face. “You look like you just did 100 reps of everything.”

I let out a heavy sigh and dropped onto the floor. “Bruuh, sumthin fukin messd up wiz me. I’ve bin actin, lyk,… crazy. Lyk, I almost rippd Leander apart, bruh. N dis chain…” I touched the collar around my neck, feeling the strange warmth that never seemed to go away. “Itz kinda lyk itz doin sumthin 2 me.”

Brody’s expression shifted as he leaned in, looking closely at the chain. “Mind if I take a closer look?” he asked, his voice serious now.

I hesitated, but then nodded, leaning forward to let him examine it. 

« It strange, it seems of roman confection, but they are some small nordic rune on it. Where did you find it ? »

I told him and we went back to that attic at his prompt. In the box where I had found the chain, he uncovered some inscription in latin engraved on the bottom .« Brooo. could you not look around before taking things on a whim ? It’s like written here : ’’He who wears the chain shall bear the curse of Stigandr’s soul.’’ »

My throat went dry. “So… lyk, I iz bein possessd, bruh?”

Brody nodded slowly, worry etched on his face. “It would explain why it’s only getting worse. Halloween’s known as a time when spirits grow stronger. This curse might’ve been lying dormant, but the spirit inside that collar has been waiting for the right time to take over completely.”

I clenched my fists, a wave of panic rising as I remembered the out-of-control fury that had taken over in the ring. “There has to be a way to stop it. I can’t let it control me again, Brody. I nearly hurt Leander.”

« I need to do some research. We got a name, that’s something to start with. »

5. Stigandr

I was pacing in his room, trying not to succumb to the nervousness and let the frustration bring out that unyielding rage when Brody finally stopped typing and turn towards me.

« I’ve got something, bro. magic ait really my thing, but I asked around and searched forum and all. 

The gist of it is that Stigandr was once a powerful Berserker. They were warriors who entered frenzied, uncontrollable rages in battle, almost like they were possessed by the spirit of rage itself. It seems to fit the bill with what you told me »

« so, lyk. i’m fukd, bruh ? »

« Not what I said, bro. There might be a way. According to this, Sigandr wandered far down the south, pillaging his way trhough civilisation until he was defeated and subdued by Decimus Marcellus. That roman centurion captured him and turned into a gladiator slave, forced into submission. The legends say the centurion controlled him by forcing a collar around his neck, creating a kind of seal that subdued his rage. It might be the very collar your wearing, but it probably only bound Stigandr till his death. That centurion might be the only one who can renew the seal and suppress the berserker again. »

I was confused. « so, how do we get to dat Decimus dude ? »

« Well… Halloween made the curse worst, but it also means the spirit of the dead are closer to us. We’ll have to summon that centurion’s soul to put the spirit in its place. The attic should be a good place to do it since it where we found Decimus’s warning. Meet me there in an hour. I’ll get Percival to help me set everything up. He’s been helping me with decorations and inventory and should know how to find everything we need quickly.”

And then, Brody was off to prepare everything… I was a bit scared, not sure what we were messing wiz, but hel, tiz nut lyk I ad lodz of choicez der, init.

__________

thx 2 Brody bro (@brodygold) n Percival @percivalgold 4 elpin n motivatin me 2 get da story furtha. Gettin close 2 dat resolution now. Hopefully before Halloween's ovaa.

Part 1 is der :

[manic-maniac-man]

HUgE Dec 2010

STARSHIP AND CANOE

Wearing heavy knitwear, tweeds and blankets, they set out into uncharted territory, with a tough, rebellious spirit.

Trove knit cardigan ¥27,300 (Trove)

《Wiz&Witch》 cut and sew ¥16,800 (CULTIYEAR)

Tweed pants by Frank Leder ¥45,150 (MACH55 Ltd.)

Trove knit cardigan ¥27,300 (Trove)

《Wiz&Witch》 cut and sew ¥16,800 (CULTIYEAR)

Tweed pants by Frank Leder ¥45,150 (MACH55 Ltd.)

Harapos Reales V-neck cardigan ¥81,900 (THIS TIME inc.)

Dsquared denim pants ¥58,800 (Kokonoe)

Missoni socks, ¥6,300 (Onward Kashiyama Customer Service Center) Sneakers, personal belongings

Yaeca layered coat ¥77,700, cut and sew all-in-one ¥19,950 (both Yaeca) Missoni socks ¥6,300 (Onward Kashiyama Customer Service Center) Beth boots ¥82,950 (The Wall Showroom)

Hooded cardigan by THE INOUE BROTHERS ¥93,450 (International Gallery BEAMS) Wool wide pants by White Mountaineering ¥28,350 (White Mountaineering) Socks by Missoni ¥6,300 (Onward Kashiyama Customer Service Center) Boots by Beth ¥82,950 (The Wall Showroom)

Missoni knit duffle coat ¥315,000 (Onward Kashiyama Customer Service Center)

Baggy stole from Mountain Research ¥44,100 (..... Research GENERAL STORE)

Vivienne Westwood Man denim pants ¥39,900 (Vivienne Westwood Information)

The vintage blanket worn underneath is ¥39,900, and the used sneakers are ¥9,660 (both JANTIQUES)

[thethirdromana]

Who would you think would fit as the team's "tech wiz" in a more recent setting? Seward, Mina, Van Helsing?

I think it's between Seward and Mina, but in different ways.

Van Helsing is the Giles here. He brings information (not all of it accurate!) and knows the right people to ask. The main technology he brings is a dubiously innovative use of communion wafers. I imagine the research he does still taking place in dusty university stacks, even in a modern setting.

Seward is the guy with all the modern gadgets. He's the one queuing outside the Apple store to be the first to get his hands on the new iPhone. He has the technology but he doesn't necessarily think that much about how best to use the technology (see: the lack of organisation in his used phonograph cylinders). He definitely has every type of smart home product set up, and what's recorded there forms part of the clues in hunting down Dracula.

Whereas Mina is the opposite. In a modern setting she's surely a broke university student, or very recent graduate. She doesn't have all the latest toys because she can't afford them. What she does have is the ability to make technology work for her, which in Dracula manifests as memorising railway timetables.

In the modern day she might be the programmer who always writes really concise and elegant code because her laptop is too old and creaky to run anything bloated. She's be the one who's like, "hey, Jack, I wonder if your doorbell recorded anything useful?" And in both the 1890s and the modern day, she's a really fast typist.

[imjustania]

How to study

Everyone has experienced that situation where they have a lot of homework and assignments to complete, yet it can be difficult to get started (I can relate!). We try various methods and even tidy up our room, but still struggle to concentrate. As someone with ADHD, I have faced this challenge throughout my life. Therefore, I have dedicated this blog post to researching the best strategies for getting motivated and staying focused while studying. My aim is to assist all those who also struggle with this issue, just in time for exam season!

Pinterest

This one is my own tip, however its very helpful! I personally love the social media Pinterest, its just a space where people get together to share their gallery! Create your own study board, and go look at pictures of people studying. Usually looking at the tidy spaces and notes help inspire someone to actually do the same. It would make you think “oh, this is pretty… maybe I should do the same!”. It also inspires you to put effort into your notes or work, as you might want to recreate this. If you need an inspiration board feel free to check mine! Trust me, this will inspire you and I update it consistently https://pin.it/8lpKfrA

Create a study space

This one is suggested in many researches, including in the International Carer Institution. They mention that “Your study environment should be clean, quiet, organised, and comfortable. Remove any distractions like game consoles and tablets, and ensure you have comfortable seating” (2022). Make sure your study space is the ideal place, because even the tiniest distraction will send you into a spiral which will lead you to distracting yourself even more. Just dedicate a good amount of your time to cleaning your desk, room, and bed. I know many people would not want to leave their room, and thats ok! You can definitely study in your room, but you have to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of the bed. Your ass can not leave that chair. The second you sit on your bed you will succumb to it’s comfort and wont leave it. Instead stand up from you chair, walk around your room. If you really want to sit not on your chair, sit on the floor (I know this sounds weird, but try it).

Set the mood

This is another personal tip that has worked for me for many years. I like to set the mood of my study space, as it helps me work more effectively! It help me when i imagine i am somewhere else while still in my room, for you it could be anywhere, library, coffee shop, work office, etc. For me, I like to set my mood to hogwards. Just imagining i’m studying in the great mighty magical school of witchcraft, helps me going. You can set your mood through ambiance YouTube videos. Some of those even have a Pomodoro installed in it, which is really helpful to getting started slowly slowly. Here is my favourite videos which you could use to set the mood!

https://youtu.be/YwMSH3dHTw4?si=DO43svTvA4BWhk5f - Christmas at the Great hall with Harry Potter! Ambiance and soft music.

https://youtu.be/5epBz_hHYiM?si=BeaYwcAH5DsqmfDb - an Astronomers Great library! Ambiance

https://youtu.be/zCi9ABxuQZQ?si=ds2nAs8CM2i5bi7d - Hogwarts Classes ambience. 4 classes total. Pomodoro

https://youtu.be/BRgPGqCV_cw?si=pMtfK7uSOsogG_Fe - 24 hour Hogwarts ambiance (intense). Pomodoro

https://youtu.be/Aw0BfB4EMY8?si=ntorGn2aEmvf0iAf - hogwarts library ambiance and soft music

https://youtu.be/m8HEoICBdTY?si=pUx-LMcV0ENKK85X - sunny ambiance - perfect for morning mood setting

More ideas to setting the mode could include the following actions: candle, diffusers, change of clothes, and adjust the light (if you have LED lights, or a smart lightbulb like Wiz, defiantly set a warm light for a relaxing atmosphere or bright white one for focus).

For the love of god put your phone down

This is the number one reason you cant get up from wherever you are seating right now, and unable to study. Your phone is a curse and a saviour at the same time. Your phone has all kind of distractions which are stopping you from actually standing up and starting your study. You start with “oh lets just take 5 more minutes” or “oh… 3 more videos wont harm” YES IT WILL. Put your phone far away, under a pillow or in the drawer. Put it on do not disturb mode, and make sure your phone is whitelisted to important people like your guardian in case they need your help. Trust me, the second your phone is away, everything will become easier. Only use your phone on long breaks, after you had a long session.

Write down your to do-list

So you finally sat down on your desk, everything is clean, everything is perfect… what now? Write your to do-list. Writing down everything you need to, helps you actually realise how much you have to do. And when you see everything written down, its easier to sort and understand what you need to do.

Work in your pace

I know you’re watching those influencers online that study for a really large period of times, but not anyone can do this AND it doesn’t work for everyone. Set your own pace, work for 20 minutes or 15 minutes and take a 5 minute break (🍅), and as you do that, you end up getting hyper concentrated at some point, and then watch the magic of studying happen.

And thats all for today folks! I hope you find this blog helpful, and let me know if this has helped you get started to study! I hope you have a wonderful day, and don't forget to keep smiling because you’re beautiful.

[crickit-song]

That feel when you make a bunch of time of day themed dnd characters in your notes app but then you finish fhjy and you have to make Riz a spy team for post-canon

BEETLE- SUNSET:

Alias: Aphid

Pronouns: She/Her

Race: Goblin

Roles: Socialite, Buffs, Distraction

TADI- SUNRISE:

Alias: Gale

Pronouns: He/They

Race: Air Genasi

Roles: Distraction, Socialite, Buffs

RHYL- MIDNIGHT:

Alias: Umbra

Pronouns: He/Him

Race: Drow Elf

Roles: On-Site Surveillance, Survival, Investigation

MERIDIAN- NOON:

Alias: Renny

Pronouns: They/Them

Race: Blue Dragonborn

Roles: Getaway, Buffs, On-Site Monitoring

NELL- GOLDEN HOUR:

Alias: Wiz

Pronouns: She/Her

Race: Teifling

Roles: Research, Off-Site Surveillance and Monitoring, Tech Head