#also something to be said about how I'd be going by ev on the internet these past few years. literally cutting off the rest of the name out

[cute-chamomile]

I know I've written a lot of poetry around names in my time but the concept is genuinely just so interesting to me

[hgejfmw-hgejhsf]

Fic Writer Interview

So I decided to snag this from @sparklepocalypse and fill it out because I'm cozy on my couch on New Year's Eve and fighting off a nap like a grumpy toddler. I'm actually fairly certain I've done this one before, now that I think about it, but oh well. The numbers are different since last time, so...

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

60, apparently! 61 being posted later today!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

178,579

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ghosts

Do we still have forever

Volume Control

Retaliation

Modification to the map of you

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to each and every comment that I receive. I try very hard to leave a personalized message for each person, but no matter what, even if it's just a "thank you," I will always respond! Even if it takes me some time!

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

To this day, the angstiest ending is Darkest before the dawn, which ends with hope, even if it doesn't end with an actual resolution. It's during canon, so the reader know what happens next.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I think my most recent Christmas fic, Oh what a laugh it would have been, has probably now overtaken one of my previous fics for overall happiest ending!

7. Do you write crossovers?

I haven't yet, but I'm absolutely open to it given the write parameters!

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven't yet, and I hope I never do, although I know that the internet can be a wild place.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

If you'd asked me back in July of this year, I would have said that I primarily write fade to black. Since then, I've written ridiculous amounts of smut. I'm still learning about various kinks I'd like to write about, because I don't want to just write without knowledge of the act itself, but I'm wading into the smut-verse now. I'd say the water's up to my knees, at this point. Got a ways to go.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, not that I've been made aware of, but I think it would be so neat.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't but catch me and @thinkof-england cowriting something amazing now that the new year has arrived.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Y'all are gonna need to sit down for this. I don't think you're ready. Deep breath in. Hold it. Now let it out slowly. Calm your mind. Are you ready? Okay because I know this is going to come as a shock to you when I say that it's FirstPrince.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

A Star Trek fic with Jim Kirk x an OC. I started it back in the spring and then RWRB happened and now it's just languishing away in my docs at just shy of 18,000 words.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told that I have realistic dialogue, so I'll count that as a strength. I also think I'm pretty skilled at metaphors. Love a good metaphor.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

The description of surroundings, including clothing and scenery. I feel like I don't do enough of this sometimes, and I'm trying to better at painting a proper picture.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I've done so! Lots and lots of research and consultation with native speakers to confirm accuracy.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Pirates of the Caribbean, apparently.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

There isn't really one out there. I'm super content with the permanent campsite I've built in FP land. Hopefully I'm allowed to hang out there for quite some time.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

How am I supposed to pick a favorite out over 60 fics?!

I suppose if I absolutely HAD to pick right now, right this second, I'd say Ghosts, because the prompt for it as my first ever reader-submitted prompt on a comment from another fic. The reader enjoyed my fic so much that they asked if I'd write another, and Ghosts it what came of that interaction. I loved writing it and sharing it not just with that reader but with the fandom as a whole.

Gonna post my tag list for anyone who wants to participate!

@adreamareads @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @cha-melodius @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @daisymae-12 @duchessdepolignaca03 @gayrootvegetable @getmehighonmagic @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heybuddy-drabbles @indomitable-love @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin @leojfitz @littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @magicandarchery @ninzied @priincebutt @read-and-write- @rockyroadkylers @roseharpermaxwell@ships-to-sail @songliili @ssmtskw @statueinthestonetoo @stereopticons @suseagull04 @thinkof-england @tintagel-or-cockleshells@user-anakin @vanillahigh00 @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @whimsymanaged @wordsofhoneydew 

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 26: Zurich Part 1

At first, I wasn't sure how I was going to do this one, because I usually listen to Zurich 1 and 2 sequentially, usually when I have a long train/car ride back from something shitty and need to smile. But then I realized that this could be my first time listening to them separately since that first time almost exactly nine years ago, and I knew I needed to do it.

That time was pretty crazy- I was traveling abroad and my time zone was ahead of the UK, and where I was staying there was only one room that had internet access, so I had to sneak down there past security in the middle of the night to listen to the first new Cabin Pressure episode in almost two years... two nights in a row! But it was worth it to open up BBC Sounds and just bask in it, while making as little noise as possible so nobody would know I was there. Ah, memories.

And of course, it was so worth it! Incidentally, I don't know if other people remember this but they actually released an advance clip beforehand, which was when Arthur shows up in the new "ice cream van." I don't remember if it was the FULL clip, but it definitely had him showing up and definitely had the ice cream chimes. I remember laughing myself sick at that, while also wondering what they were thinking releasing the funniest part of the episode beforehand, because wouldn't it take away from the obviously less-funny rest of the episode? Obviously, though, I had nothing to worry about.

You might be wondering why I'm just sitting here rambling about what I remember from 2014, and the answer is, to a certain degree, that John Finnemore kind of already did the definitive writeup of Zurich in his Farewell Bear Fact here. I've cited it here before, because it's just that critical. At a certain point, going too much into character arcs and motivations would just be me rehashing what he said, but worse.

That said, I definitely have some of my own comments, like how without listening to Yverdon and Zurich 1 in a row (which I basically never do), I'd forgotten that the pre-credits scene in Zurich is basically just a lesser version of the ending scene in Yverdon... I get that unless they wanted to commit to Arthur having an allergic reaction throughout the scene they couldn't just repeat it, but I'm still a bit sad we lost Arthur's thing about being a hotel guy. That said, transferring the scene over and reinterpreting it was done beautifully, and I love how Theresa showed up right at the key moment, not only for plot reasons (so that Martin needed to admit for real that he had the job) but because having her there as well really differentiated this scene from the prior one.

(I also want to say, my single favorite joke on this whole fucking show is in this episode, and it is "like in Casablanca, where the woman gets to go on the plane.")

The wait from Yverdon had, of course, been agonizing by the time we all (and by "we" I mean all of us but the lucky bastards who saw the recording) listened to it, and I remembered wondering how they were going to handle it- and was both surprised and delighted that Martin's attempted subterfuge was revealed immediately. It had felt like a cliffhanger for the sake of a cliffhanger- and of course, to a degree, it was (if JF hadn't wanted one he wouldn't have written one) and keeping didn't feel sustainable, which indeed it wasn't. And in general, the kind of farce that comes from keeping secrets isn't usually my favorite kind of comedy, which is a bit funny considering how much I love Frasier but I digress. So when everything was out in the open and they all just had to move on and deal with it, that was like a breath of fresh air.

And I LOVE how JF made this episode remarkably self contained! We'll see tomorrow in Part 2 that there are lots of dangling threads just begging to be tied up, but the episode is still utterly enjoyable on its own terms. I've seen/heard/read Part 1s that feel like they're just set up, but here everything is funny, sweet, heartwarming in its own right, even without Part 2 to provide the finishing touches. If the last we'd gotten of the Carolyn/Herc relationship had been her allowing him to say that he loves her because it's a special occasion, it would have been a basically fitting send off, even if what we'll end up getting in Part 2 is better. And of course the auction scene is perfectly self contained and hilarious, just amazing. (Though I have to say, a British radio comedy writer having GERTI as "lot 42" is possibly a trifle on the nose, but hey, everyone does it, why shouldn't he be able to...)

I'll admit that the first time I listened to this episode I thought that Douglas was serious about trying to get Gordon to sell the plane to Carolyn (for decent motives), right up until he explained his plan. Now relistening I'm not sure why I ever thought that, it makes zero sense in the context of the broader story and the characters. It was, of course, so much more exciting to me to realize that they were about to embark on a mission to go steal GERTI back.

[grazer-razor]

happy all saints eve!

now, you may be thinking, "wait, what? i thought today was halloween?" well, this halloween, i wanted to do something different. instead of celebrating edgy stuff, i'd like to celebrate the day before all saints day- a holiday revolving around the honoring of all saints in the church!

so today, i am going to show you some people you may not know were christians. for obvious reasons, people like scott cawthon and kanye will be skipped, as nearly everyone knows that they're religious.

with that said... let's get started!

1. colonel sanders

out of all the people who could be christians, the last person you'd expect to be a christian would be the guy who birthed one of the most iconic fast food chains that ended up putting him into a dating simulator, and also made a statue of him that basically cursed a japanese baseball team. but as it turns out, colonel sanders himself is a christian!

now, i'm not saying that KFC is chick-fil-a, but in my mind, i can easily envision colonel sanders owning his own chicken restaurant in heaven! :)

2. mr. T

wait, what? mr. T... is a christian? that tough guy who pities the fool... is a christian? that guy who got all his chains from troublemakers he battled during his days as a nightclub bouncer so that he could return them to their owners... IS A CHRISTIAN???

the answer is YES! mr. T IS a christian, to the point where he's appeared on TBN praise!

mr. T may be the last person you were thinking of when envisioning famous christians, but it just goes to show- anyone could be a christian, and even if they're not, anyone can change and start following god- perhaps even you!

3. antoine dodson (bed intruder guy)

for those who don't know, antoine dodson is the bed intruder guy. for those who don't know, something happened involving his relatives, so the police was called. in a news interview, he said some very memetic and iconic phrases, which were turned into a music video. and the rest is internet history.

what you may not know, however, was that at the time, he was going through some sin issues. but eventually, he realized that what he was doing was wrong, and wanted to pursue a walk with god instead!

4. mr. rogers

i think we all saw this coming. yes, mr. rogers was a christian, and how wholesome he was, combined with how he helped children so much and how he supported human rights(he once invited a black person to be in the pool with him, roasting racist people in the family-friendliest way possible)!

mr. rogers is a legend, and when you realize that he was a christian, it becomes very obviously why he was!

5. leif erikson

HEY EVERYONE! IT'S LEIF ERIKSON DAY! HINGA DINGA DURGEN! (swims bed away like a boat)

but seriously, not only was leif erikson the first one to discover america, but he was also a christian... who spread the gospel, in fact!

because how cool this is, i much prefer leif erikson day over columbus day(not to mention that leif wasn't a jerk to indigenous people).

6. the guy who inspired ned flanders (yes, seriously)

now, i heard this from my pastor, so this may or may not be true. ned flanders was inspired by one of matt groening's neighbors, who was a member of Youth With A Mission(YWAM). and not just that, but he even had the same sweater, and perhaps even the same mustache!

but of course, when you're about to make a show based on satire, most likely you're gonna turn your neighbor into a sitcom character. :|

-----

and that concludes this post! hopefully, now you know how many christians are in the world, and whether or not you're celebrating halloween, or all saints eve, i hope that this blowed your mind...

...at least a little bit...

[junipaca]

jotting my thoughts on pokemon rejuv so far since im just finished battling hazuki.

likes:

hell yeah more utilization of double battle scenarios. those are my jam and butter i have so much fun calculating who's gonna target who and what the fuck should i go for. I'd like to thank my cinccino and weavile. fakeout helping hand combos so well with my tanky or fast sweeper pokemon.

the field options and crest system are cool as hell. its gen rlly creative and i had to get used to it and use my brain, it throws a wrench in usual pokemon play and style. it also lifts some underutilized pokemon! its manageable though. and the boss battles were gen rlly cool! rift pokemon my beloved. rlly hard in the beginning but i learned to cheese it eventually (curse + leech seed + whirlpool + toxic with corrosion)

the difficulty i think is spiked p well, its good enough that you aren't out of options, almost never, but you got to use your head around certain teams and foes. EV training is a MUST, luckily there are EV training centers. i hate IV hunting so i used the password for full 31 IVs all the way . you also need some basis of pokemon competitive i'd say.

speaking of passwords those are gen rlly nice to use, saves some time. i got a remote pc with me and that saves like 50% of the handling when preparing for a boss battle.

the aevian forms are so cool. my fav has been probably chandelure and leavanny so far but i just caught a feebas so who knows. i also have a gastrodon who's so silly i love that design

god the characters are so nice. i love the individuality of each character presented to the player, and you kind of got to twist one part to get to the other and know why the first part was twisted. that being said, if you asked who my favs are its adam ren and talon. silly dudes. but i also know i would EAT this up in my younger years a lot more. but even now i still adore them. found family is dear and nice, especially well done for a large cast jesus fuck

also worldbuilding. i don't want to say more but woah. good job.

i adore [REDACTED] very dearly and i have to apologize every time i see them. i wish i got to know them more. hopefully more appearances later??????

iffy stuff:

i want to like venam and melia's relationship a lot more than i do now. i think its just uncertainty with their previous known age gap before the time skip? eh.

I'm. very confused about Risa's whole schtick. i don't want to say more than now because spoilers and all. but i think too much information got laid on with that arc that my brain exploded there. wish it was just a bit clarified or so . (also is she 18 or 21??????? the internet and the game confuse me. this matters because i have to know whether to sock dylan or not)

some of the sidequest lines are misleading. they say "go to [here]" and when i go there nothing happens. its only when i search up the issue online is when i find out that i have to do Something Else first. just wish it was more clarified or such? if that makes sense? its like someone told you to go to the field or smth but didn't say you had to talk to the lady at the building first.

honestly i think the story confusions i have now are going to wait until The End of this game because rn it isn't fully complete. i will wait as long as needed until everything releases before i can make a full assessment. like. this has so much work put into this game. for FREE. NOTHING OF COST. like holy shit i can wait forever and ever. i have 130+ hours into this game. i can't believe this is nothing of cost. so a positive note here in this category.

comments:

honestly ive seen a ton of critique towards this game, so i was sort of jumping around trying to assess how hard it was going to be and whether or not i would be actually interested. i'm delighted to say i am. key note: don't listen to reddit when they say "too edgy". i know my edgyness. i i also quite enjoy some of it. i think its a matter of taste.

if you try out this game do have. a lil handful of pokemon experience in terms of speed, sweeping, and tanks. i think some basic knowledge there would go a long way. then again i played normal mode, there is an easier mode if i remember. either way, get ready to strategize.

also rec me more games im almost caught up w everything pretty please i need something to occupy my brain.

[respectable-username]

🔐 Why You (Probably) Don't Need A VPN

A rant by a software engineer sick of VPN ads from her favourite YouTubers

TL;DR:

Here are some legitimate reasons the average internet user might want to use a VPN:

To connect to their company's internal network

To bypass the Great Firewall of China (or other types of website blocks at country or organisation level)

To watch Netflix etc as if you were in another country

Here are absolutely rubbish reasons to use a VPN:

Privacy

And today, I'll tell you why.

Hang on, won't a VPN stop hackers from stealing my passwords?

I mean, it does encrypt the web traffic coming from your device.

You know what else encrypts web traffic coming from your device? Your browser.

Yes, in the year 2021, pretty much all websites on the internet are accessed over HTTPS. The "S" stands for "secure", as in "your request will be securely encrypted". If your browser is using HTTPS, nobody can capture the data you're sending over the internet. More detail in the "I like too much detail" section at the bottom of this post.

It's very easy to check if you are using HTTPS by looking at your URL bar. In most browsers, it will have a lock on it if secure:

(From top left to bottom right: Chrome on iOS, Safari on iOS, Chrome on Windows, Edge on Windows, Firefox on Windows, and Safari on Mac. Screenshots reflect the UI at the time this post was written. Oh gosh this has taken over 4 hours to write.)

But isn't moar encryption better? What if somebody breaks HTTPS?

For starters, nobody's breaking your HTTPS, and there isn't any benefit from double encrypting. This is because of the maths behind encryption/decryption!

Encryption works kinda like a lock and key, except the lock is maths and the key is a special number only known to the person allowed to unlock the information.

The important thing is, without the key, all the locked data looks like complete and utter garbage. Completely unusable. Barely distinguishable from random noise. There's absolutely no way to tell what the original data was.

The other important thing is that the key is nearly unguessable. As in, with current technology, will generally take more than the lifetime of the universe to guess by chance. And when technology gets faster, we just make the numbers bigger again until they're once again secure.

For any major website you use, they will use a strong encryption algorithm (ie lock) with big numbers so your keys will be strong enough to withstand an attack. This means your data is safe as long as that lock icon is in your URL bar.

A VPN will not make the existing garble any more garbled. The extra $10/month or whatever you're paying for does not buy you any extra protection.

If you want to know more about how encryption and HTTPS in particular work, see the "I like too much detail" section at the end of this post.

Something something viruses

How's a VPN going to stop viruses? It controls the path your internet traffic takes, not the content that gets sent down that path. I guess it could block some known virus-giving hosts? But if it's known to the VPN provider, it's probably also known to the built-in antivirus on your computer who can block it for you.

(Oh yeah, 3rd party antivirus is another thing that's not worth paying for these days. Microsoft's built-in Windows Defender is as good as the third party options, and something something Macs don't get viruses easily because of how they're architected.)

Honestly though, keep your software up to date, don't click on anything suspicious, don't open files from sources you don't trust, and you'll be right most of the time.

And keep your software up to date. Then update your software. Hey, did I mention keeping your stuff updated? Update! Now! It only takes a few minutes. Please update to the latest version of your software I'm begging you. It's the number 1 way to protect yourself from viruses and other malware. Most major software attacks could have been prevented if people just updated their damn software!

But my ISP is spying on me!

Ok, it is true that there are TWO bits of data that HTTPS can't and won't hide. Those are:

The source of a request (your IP)

What website that request is going to (the website's IP)

These are the bits of information that routers use to know where to send your data, so of course they can't be hidden as the data is moving across the internet. And people can see that information very easily if they want to.

Note: this will show which website you're going to, but not which page you're looking at, and not the content of that page. So it will show that you were on Tumblr, but will not show anyone that you're still reading SuperWhoLock content in 2021.

It's this source/destination information that VPNs hide, which is why they can be used to bypass website blocks and region locks.

By using a VPN, those sniffing traffic on your side of the VPN will just show you connecting to the VPN, not the actual website you want. That means you can read AO3 at work/school without your boss/teachers knowing (unless they look over your shoulder of course).

As for those sniffing on the websites end, including the website itself, they will see the VPN as the source of the connection, not you. So if you're in the US and using a VPN node in the UK, Netflix will see you as being in the UK and show you their British library rather than the American one.

If this is what you're using a VPN for and you think the price is fair, then by all means keep doing it! This is 100% what VPNs are good for.

HOWEVER, and this is a big "however", if it's your ISP you're trying to hide your internet traffic from, then you will want to think twice before using a VPN.

Let me put it this way. Without a VPN, your ISP knows every website you connect to and when. With a VPN, do you know who has that exact same information? The VPN provider. Sure, many claim to not keep logs, but do you really trust the people asking for you to send them all your data for a fee to not just turn around and sell your data on for a profit, or worse?

In effect, you're trading one snooper for another. One snooper is heavily regulated, in many jurisdictions must obey net neutrality, and is already getting a big fee from you regardless of where you browse. The other isn't. Again, it's all a matter of who you trust more.

For me personally, I trust my ISP more than a random VPN provider, if for no other reason than my ISP is an old enough company with enough inertia and incompetence that I don't think they could organise to sell my data even if they wanted to. And with the amount of money I'm paying them per month, they've only got everything to lose if they broke consumer trust by on-selling that data. So yeah, I trust my ISP more with my privacy than the random VPN company.

But my VPN comes with a password manager!

Password managers are great. I 100% recommend you use a password manager. If there's one thing you could do right now to improve your security (other than updating your software, speaking of, have you updated yet?), it's getting and using a password manager.

Password managers also come for free.

I'm currently using LastPass free, but am planning to switch after they did a bad capitalism and only let their free accounts access either laptop or mobile but not both now. I personally am planning to move to Bitwarden on friends' recommendation since it's not only free but open source and available across devices. I also have friends who use passbolt and enjoy it, which is also free and open source, but it's also a bit DIY to set up. Great if you like tinkering though! And there are probably many other options out there if you do a bit of googling.

So, yeah, please use a password manager, but don't pay for it unless you actually have use for the extra features.

No I really need to hide my internet activity from everybody for reasons

In this case, you're probably looking for TOR. TOR is basically untraceable. It's also a terrible user experience for the most part because of this, so I'd only recommend it if you need it, such as if you're trying to escape the Great Firewall. But please don't use it for Bad Crimes. I am not to be held liable for any crime committed using information learned from this post.

Further reading viewing

If you want to know more about why you don't need a VPN, see Tom Scott's amazing video on the subject. It's honestly a great intro for beginners.

I like too much detail

Ahhh, so you're the type of person who doesn't get turned off by long explanations I see. Well, here's a little more info on the stuff I oversimplified in the main post about encryption. Uhh, words get bigger and more jargony in this section.

So first oversimplification: the assumption that all web traffic is either HTTP or HTTPS. This isn't exactly true. There are many other application layer internet standards out there, such as ssh, ftp, websockets, and all the proprietary standards certain companies use for stuff such as streaming and video conferencing. Some of these are secure, using TLS or some other security algorithm under the hood, and some of them aren't.

But most of the web requests you care about are HTTP/HTTPS calls. As for the rest, if they come from a company of a decent size that hasn't been hacked off the face of the planet already, they're probably also secure. In other words, you don't need to worry about it.

Next, we've already said that encryption works as a lock and a key, where the lock is a maths formula and the key is a number. But how do we get that key to lock and unlock the data?

Well, to answer that, we first need to talk about the two different types of encryption: symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric encryption such as AES uses the same key to both encrypt and decrypt data, whereas asymmetric encryption such as RSA uses a different key to encode and decode.

For the sake of my writing, we're going to call the person encrypting Alice, the person decrypting Bob, and the eavesdropper trying to break our communications Eve from now on. These are standard names in crypto FYI. Also, crypto is short for cryptography not cryptocurrencies. Get your Bitcoin and Etherium outta here!

Sorry if things start getting incoherent. I'm tired. It's after 1am now.

So first, how do we get the key from symmetric crypto? This is probably the easier place to start. Well, you need a number, any number of sufficient size, that both Alice and Bob know. There are many ways you could share this number. They could decide it when they meet in person. They could send it to each other using carrier pigeons. Or they could radio it via morse code. But those aren't convenient, and somebody could intercept the number and use it to read all their messages.

So what we use instead is a super clever algorithm called Diffie-Hellman, which uses maths and, in particular, the fact it's really hard to factor large numbers (probably NP Hard to be specific, but there's no actual proof of that). The Wikipedia page for this is surprisingly easy to read, so I'll just direct you there to read all about it because I've been writing for too long. This algorithm allows Alice and Bob to agree on a secret number, despite Eve being able to read everything they send each other.

Now Alice and Bob have this secret number key, they can talk in private. Alice puts her message and the key into the encryption algorithm and out pops what looks like a load of garbage. She can then send this garbage to Bob without worrying about Eve being able to read it. Bob can then put the garbage and the key into the decryption algorithm to undo the scrambling and get the original message out telling him where the good donuts are. Voila, they're done!

But how does Alice know that she's sending her message to Bob and not Eve? Eve could pretend to be Bob so that Alice does the Diffie-Hellman dance with her instead and sends her the secret location of the good donuts instead.

This is where asymmetric crypto comes in! This is the one with private and public keys, and the one that uses prime numbers.

I'm not 100% across the maths on this one TBH, but it has something to do with group theory. Anyway, just like Diffie-Hellman, it relies on the fact that prime factorisation is hard, and so it does some magic with semi-primes, ie numbers with only 2 prime factors other than 1. Google it if you want to know more. I kinda zoned out of this bit in my security courses. Maths hard

But the effect of that maths is easier to explain: things that are encoded with one of the keys can only be decoded with the other key. This means that one of those keys can be well-known to the public and the other is known only to the person it belongs to.

If Alice wants to send a message to Bob and just Bob, no Eve allowed, she can first look up Bob's public key and encrypt a beginning message with that. Once Bob receives the message, he can decrypt it with his private key and read the contents. Eve can't read the contents though because, even though she has Bob's public key, she doesn't know his private key.

This public key information is what the lock in your browser is all about BTW. It's saying that the website is legit based on the public key they provide.

So why do we need symmetric crypto when we have asymmetric crypto? Seems a lot less hassle to exchange keys with asymmetric crypto.

Well, it's because asymmetric crypto is slooooow. So, in TLS, the security algorithm that puts the "S" in "HTTPS", asymmetric RSA is used to establish the initial connection and figure out what symmetric key to use, and then the rest of the session uses AES symmetric encryption using the agreed secret key.

And there you have it! Crypto in slightly-less-short-but-still-high-enough-level-that-I-hope-you-understand.

Just realised how long this section is. Well, I did call it "too much detail" for a reason.

Now, next question is what exactly is and isn't encrypted using HTTPS.

Well, as I said earlier, it's basically just the source IP:port and the destination IP:port. In fact, this information is actually communicated on the logical layer below the application layer HTTPS is on, known as the transport layer. Again, as I said before, you can't really encrypt this unless you don't want your data to reach the place you want at all.

Also, DNS is unencrypted. A DNS request is a request that turns a domain name, such as tumblr.com, into an IP address, by asking a special server called a Domain Name Server where to find the website you're looking for. A DNS request is made before an HTTP(S) request. Anyone who can read your internet traffic can therefore tell you wanted to go to Tumblr.

But importantly, this only shows the domain name, not the full URL. The rest of the URL, the part after the third slash (the first two slashes being part of http://), is stuff that's interpreted by the server itself and so isn't needed during transport. Therefore, it encrypted and completely unreadable, just like all the content on your page.

I was going to show a Wireshark scan of a web request using HTTP and HTTPS to show you the difference, but this has taken long enough to write as it is, so sorry!

I could probably write more, but it's 1:30am and I'm sleepy. I hope you found some of this interesting and think twice before purchasing a VPN subscription. Again, there are legit good uses for a VPN, but they're not the ones primarily being advertised in VPN ads. It's the fact that VPN ads rely so heavily on false advertising that really grinds my gears and made me want to do this rant. It's especially bad when it comes from somebody I'd think of as technologically competent (naming no names here, but if you've worked in tech and still promote VPNs as a way to keep data safe... no). Feel free to ask questions if you want and hopefully I'll get around to answering any that I feel I know enough to answer.

Nighty night Tumblr. Please update your software. And use a (free) password manager. And enable two factor authentication on all your accounts. But mostly just update your software.

[alstroemeriadissonance]

Under the emergency lights. (NSFW)

I wrote this bit on candlelight, as we were kicked off the grid by a particularly bad storm. We were off the grid for around 5 days and it was just... Bad. I had to cope with it the best way I know how (smut lol)

Warning: NSFW. Marius, Vyn, Rosa PWP action. With some talky bits.

This is based on my own prompt here! It's a monthly prompt thing for the ToTNSFW sub.

I got two others lined up (one is a Secret Santa scheduled to be published on Christmas Eve, and the other the 100 flowers sequel that I'm struggling to finish on mobile. Data and internet is slowly getting fixed so hopefully I'd be up to my usual Vyn/smutposting schedule soon-ish.

This bit is barely edited due to time limit and availability of data. Ahaha...

It all happened in what seemed to be a stroke of sheer bad luck.

Or luck, depending on perspective.

The overhead LED fixtures in the NXX Headquarters conference room flickered for a bit before they went out, prompting the emergency lights to kick in.

The conference room fell into dim lighting; just enough illumination for the occupants to see each other, but not enough for them to get any work done.

"Oh shit. Not now," Marius blanched.

"Hmm?" Vyn put down his tablet. "It is but a power outage. I assume our servers are well protected from power surges for when the electricity gets back online?"

Rosa blinked, having experienced her first power outage for years. "Uh, Marius...is this something we should be worried about?"

"It should be only a minor annoyance, Rosa," Vyn said as he gathered his papers laid out across the glass table, then looked at Marius, who seemed to start sweating bullets. "Unless there is something we do not know, which is worrying Marius so?"

"Er. Yeah. I sort of fucked up," Marius said.

"Spare us the guesswork and lay out in simple terms what exactly is the nature of this fuck up," Vyn said, lips pursed.

"We're going to be trapped here for, um, half a day."

"What."

"What?!"

Rosa quickly stood up from her seat, and rattled the handles of the electronic doors that separated the NXX Conference Room from the corridor. They did not budge.

"Oh no..." she groaned. "There's still a pile of work waiting for me in the office..."

"The doors will not work, Rosa," Vyn stated the obvious. "They are electronic, and for security reasons they are designed to be impregnable for cases where malicious actors aim to break in by cutting off power to these premises.

He then turned to Marius. "Marius von Hagen," Vyn began, now tapping his slender fingers onto the glass tabletop. "Outline to me, explain to me why is it that I am to be trapped here in my own estate for twelve hours?" His irritation was barely contained. "Moreover, why PAX will not do a search of their acting CEO's whereabouts for the twelve hours that he is unaccounted for?"

Marius took a deep breath. "Yeah, well. R&D just finished with the security fortification I requested of them for this area. Specifically the server room, and since this conference room is pretty much connected to it, I also had the conference room covered with this...new security feature."

Vyn only raised a silver eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

"The security feature is--well, if you know what a Faraday cage is. I essentially converted the server room and this conference room into one big Faraday cage."

"I am familiar with it," Vyn said. "I also looked into a installing a similar feature here. But I fail to understand why this will translate into us being trapped for a full twelve hours here."

"Because. I also tinkered with the automatic security alerts just recently. Specifically, those alerts that flag us whenever we're cut off from our own servers. Which is happening now, because it looks like the Faraday cage system has kicked in."

"How is all that related to this power outage?" Rosa asked, having finally found her voice.

"I...just remembered that I had Engineering conduct remote repairs for our network and power cabling," Marius muttered quietly. "I mixed up the dates. It's scheduled to last twelve hours."

"So. If I understood you correctly, Marius, you have scheduled a 12-hour power outage, just when you have scheduled a test of technology designed to cut us off from the outside, and moreover, you have chosen this period to fuck around with the automatic system alerts that would have alerted someone from outside of our predicament." Vyn said, moving on from tapping the table to spinning his pen with his fingers.

He then continued. "Please tell me someone like Luke can tell what is going on,

"Please tell me, that after some time has passed there should be some indication to our colleagues outside that we are missing, which would then trigger a search that would hopefully include this building."

Marius looked like he wanted to tear his hair out, but instead only combed his hair between his fingers. "Luke would, only if he was specifically looking for us."

"How about your staff in PAX?"

Marius buried his face in his hands. "Today...is a Friday."

"Yes."

"I specifically told Vincent yesterday that if I go off the grid on a Friday to not go looking for me for 24 hours. I was getting tired of all those invitations to party on Friday, okay?"

"Alright, so neither Luke or PAX can be depended upon to come looking for us, barring certain conditions." Vyn's voice came slow and measured, hiding his sheer annoyance if it weren't for his eyes that screamed of bloody murder clearly visible despite the dim lighting of the emergency lights.

"Remind me to murder you on a Friday evening, little von Hagen."

"Get off my case will you, Vyn?" Marius grimaced. "What about you? Aren't there anyone in your research center who'll come looking for you if you don't respond in twelve hours?"

"It just turned six in the evening, Marius. It is almost my usual time to clock out of the facility and my staff respects my personal hours. They will not be contacting me until after nine in the morning tomorrow."

Vyn looked rather resigned. "What about you, Rosa? Anyone you have an appointment with tomorrow?"

"You know it's with you, Vyn," Rosa said, slumping back onto her chair.

"Well at least you are fourteen hours early for our date."

"I'm never late, Vyn." Rosa tried to smile at Vyn's attempt to make light of their predicament, but it only turned out strained and half-hearted.

"Ugh. Fuckit. This is what you all guys get for overworking me." Marius propped his feet up the glass table and made himself comfortable. It was going to be a long wait, so might as well sleep some of it off...

===

"Hahh...Vyn, not now..."

"Shh." Sounds of kissing. "Why not?"

"Because we may wake him up--ah--yes--"

"I fail to see the problem." More kissing. "I do not care if we make him uncomfortable." Sounds of a swivel chair creaking under movement. "Ahh--I am in my own estate, and I refuse to let others dictate how I should act in my own home.

"It is his just deserts for trapping us in here."

Marius was already awake for a few minutes, and it took those few minutes for him to register what was happening within the conference room.

His eyes were not yet opened, but he could clearly hear Vyn and Rosa going at each other.

And they were not exactly being subtle about it either.

Rosa's gasp, and the moist, lewd sounds that followed it, already gave Marius a graphic depiction of what the NXX psychiatrist and their junior lawyer were doing in the same room as him.

Jesus fucking Christ. Is Vyn fingering Rosa right here? Right here?

Marius felt the crotch of his pants tighten uncomfortably.

Rosa moaned--whatever it is that Vyn did to her, it was something that made her forget there was a third person in the conference room with them.

He couldn't bear it anymore. "Um. Guys?" he said, voice raspy with his own arousal. "I'm here. If you don't cut it out, I'm going to have to join in on the fun."

Marius then dared to look at Vyn and Rosa's direction, his eyes rewarded with the sight of Rosa in a state of undress, draped over Vyn, who was still fully clothed, sitting on a swivel chair.

"Damn, Missy. You look damn good."

Rosa gulped, her face flushed--yet she did not exactly cover herself.

Marius thought he imagined it, but did Rosa look like she was...turned on when he looked at her?

Vyn confirmed his thoughts. "Rosa," he asked her, "Are you excited by Marius being here?" He cupped her cheek, and gently prompted her to look at him. "Your pupils look even more dilated, pet," he whispered. "And..."

Squelch.

"Ah, Vyn...no!" Rosa moaned yet again.

"You are positively drenched. Even more so." Vyn proceeded to slowly <fuck> Rosa's slit with his long fingers. "See? You are wet, my dear Rosa. Are you this excited?"

Vyn gave Marius a side-eye, as if reminding his student that Rosa was his, that only he can fuck Rosa and make her sing so lewdly, the same way she was doing at that very moment.

"Shit. Vyn. Are you trying to mess with my head again? Marius groaned, feeling the bulge in his pants get even more uncomfortable. He wanted so badly to touch it, but even Marius still had scruples.

"Mmnh--Vyn," Rosa bit her lip in an attempt to suppress her cries, only to be utterly defeated when Vyn pushed her blouse and lacy brassiere up to gain access to the soft swell of her breasts. He helped himself to a breast, his lips finding purchase around her nipple and sucking on it.

"Ahhh!"

"Fuck it, Vyn!" Marius groaned, kicking the edge of the glass table to let the swivel chair he was sitting on roll away just enough to give him room to stand up.

He then walked over to the couple, and Marius found himself reaching for Rosa's neglected other breast...

...only for Vyn to swat away his hand.

"Do not touch her," Vyn said, his lips still on Rosa's breast. "She is mine, and she has not consented."

"Fuck you Vyn," Marius muttered. "Let's play a game then, then all of us will be willing participants that way, yeah?"

Rosa's breath hitched--and both men noticed.

"I think she likes the idea," Marius said.

"Do you, Rosa?" Vyn whispered. "I did say before that you are most welcome to voice your thoughts. Do you wish to indulge in this kind of play?"

It took Rosa a few moments before she said, in a small voice, "Yes."

"And a game we shall have, then."

===

"Let's make things simple," said Marius. "Just Truth or Dare."

"Heh. Missing your little kid's games, Marius?" Vyn sneered. Then he turned to his lover. "Is that game format to your liking, Rosa?"

"I'm good with it," said Rosa, shyly. "I agree, it makes things rather simple."

"Let's skip the spin bottle. I'll assign turn order: Me first, then Vyn, then Rosa. All good?"

"I am not opposed to it."

"Mm."

"Good." Marius grinned. "Let's start, then."

First Round: Marius

"I pick Truth this time. Quick, throw me a question." Marius said, a tad excited.

"Oh, let me," Rosa said, her passionate heat of moments ago slowly being replaced by a childlike glee. "Who is your crush?"

"Hah, I saw that coming," Marius grinned. "You naughty Miss you." He licked his lips. Well, here goes. "You guys probably expect me to say that Rosa is my crush, which is actually true. But, who said that I only have one crush?"

"Just cut to the chase, will you, Marius?" Vyn said, impatiently. "Well?"

"It's you, Vyn," Marius said outright. "I have had a big crush on you since ever. Surprised?"

"Ah."

Rosa bit her lip, pleased by the turn of events.

Second Round: Vyn

"Dare. I will always pick Dare, so do not even bother asking me." Vyn said.

"Fine, Vyn. I dare you to kiss me," Marius said, with a lopsided grin. "What better chance for me to finally kiss my crush, eh? Do you mind, Missy?" he asked, looking at Rosa.

To his mild surprise, Rosa was looking at both of them with athe unmistakable look of excitement. She wants to see us kiss?

Vyn also noticed this. "Well then. Let us give my Rosa a good show." He reached over to grab the armrests of Marius's swivel chair and pulled him close. "Come here, Marius."

Marius did as he was told; being the taller man, he leaned down towards Vyn, allowing his tutor to thread his fingers through his own dark hair.

Vyn smelled of sandalwood and roses.

Marius took note of this, exhilarated.

And then he felt Vyn pulling his head close to his, finally locking lips with his.

Vyn's tongue tasted nicely of strawberry candy--or is it one of his sweet desserts?--and Marius felt his heart beat fast and strong against his ribcage, threatening to burst out at such exquisite stimuli.

Their tongues slid so sensuously against each other, and Vyn slightly pulled away, only to lick Marius's lips, tracing it with the tip of his own tongue.

Marius felt his cock twitch in his pants. Shit. He's too good. He found himself moaning involuntarily, wanting more...

"That's enough," Vyn breathed softly before he disengaged and pulled back.

"Fuck, that was really great," Marius whispered as he licked his lips, not wanting to let every drop of Vyn's taste on his lips go to waste.

Rosa bit her thumb at the spectacle. She was clearly turned on.

Third Round: Rosa

"I choose Truth," Rosa said. "Do your worst."

"Just a straightforward question, my pet," Vyn began. "I loathe to ask, because I find this type of question rather childish and puerile, but in keeping with the spirit of this game...who else in the NXX do you want to sleep with?"

Rosa blinked. She did not expect such a question to come from Vyn. It was too out of character for him, too vulgar for his elegance, even.

But he was playing the game with them, and that was the most important thing at the moment.

And so Rosa decided to answer truthfully.

"Marius. I wouldn't mind Marius," she said.

"Aww Missy, you "wouldn't mind"? Why does it make me feel bad, like I am just second choice?"

Vyn sighed. "Which you are, obviously. She is my lover, after all."

Fourth Round: Marius

"Alright, Dare this time. What will you demand of Marius von Hagen?"

"Hmm," Rosa hummed. "Let's make things spicy this time around. Strip, I guess?"

It was Marius's turn to blink in surprise. "Missy? I never thought I'd see the day." Grinning, he started to slowly strip off his clothes, starting with his jacket, which was draped over a chair. He then slipped his shirt off his head, showing his well-defined torso and arms.

"Well Missy? You like what you see? Much better than Vyn's huh?"

"Do not push your luck, Marius," Vyn said, threateningly.

"Ooh, scary," Marius threw Vyn a look. "But what if I'm also stripping for you?"

He kicked off his shoes, then undid the buttons and zippers of his pants, letting it pool to his feet.

His thumbs now rode the garter of his boxer shorts. "Well, you guys ready?" He winked.

Not awaiting any response, he bent to slide off his boxers, kicking it off along with his pants.

His cock was fully erect, begging to be tended to ever since he woke up to Vyn and Rosa's indiscretions.

Marius indulged himself at the sight of Rosa's hand covering her mouth as she stared at him; of Vyn's passive, unreadable stare that Marius knew could mean many, many things...

Fifth Round: Vyn

"I, strip?" Vyn asked.

"Yes, Vyn," Marius drawled. "I'm not going to be the only one whose cock is out. So yeah. Strip."

"Very well then," Vyn shrugged off his white coat after tucking the lanyard of his badge into its breast pocket. "I do not mind."

Like Marius, he draped his coat over a chair.

He wore many layers compared to his student; he unbuttoned his waistcoat, folding and placing it on the same chair.

Vyn also removed his collar pins, slipping them inside one of his coat's breast pockets.

Off came his sleeve garters, and he finally started to unbutton his shirt...

"Man, Vyn already took off so many things but he's still fully clothed. It's a wonder," Marius said.

"It is a wonder for someone who does not recognize the importance of dressing appropriately," Vyn said as he slipped off his necktie and shrugged off his unbuttoned white shirt, revealing his pale, lithe torso.

Compared to Marius, Vyn's build could be described as somewhat wiry, full of potential energy built off his core strength no doubt honed by equestrian sports and polo.

"Oh, hey. I knew I did not imagine it when I saw it...you have a beauty mark under your collarbone," Marius said, biting his lower lip.

"Yes. What of it?" Vyn asked as his fingers worked on unbuckling his belt and undoing the zipper of his pants.

"Nothing. I just want to lick it, is all."

"Careful, Marius. You are saying it in front of my lover," Vyn said as his own pants pooled around his ankles, revealing his briefs.

"I don't mind, Vyn," Rosa said quietly. "I wouldn't mind it if you let Marius lick your beauty mark too."

"Really now," Vyn said as he slid off his briefs, his own hard on--perfect in every angle--on full show.

"Shit." Marius stared at it openly. "Even that part of you is pretty."

"Flattery will get you nor your grades nowhere, Marius," Vyn said as he sat on his swivel chair, crossing his legs.

He was completely naked, save for his glasses.

Sixth Round: Rosa

"Truth."

"Aw Missy, you've always been picking Truth," Marius pouted. "Can't we get some action from you?"

Rosa blushed. "I'm sure you can get me to do things if you're creative!"

Marius sighed. "Well fine. Here's a simple question then: What exactly do you want to happen during our time trapped in here, trapped in blackout?"

He then grinned. He more or less knew what Rosa is going to answer.

Rosa took a deep breath. "Threesome. I...I want to experience a threesome," she said, looking at Vyn all the while.

Vyn let out a soft laugh. "Unfortunately for you pet, I am with Marius here. That is such a safe answer; we all know what is going to happen maybe a few minutes from now."

Seventh Round: Marius

"Dare. Come on--we're naked; what do you want me to do?"

Rosa gulped.

"I'm waiting, Missy," Marius licked his lips. "What'll it be?"

"Can...can you give Vyn a blowjob?"

Marius's eyes widened a bit. "Wow. I'm seeing a bit of pattern in your requests, Missy. I never thought you're that type. I like it."

Vyn also gave Rosa a slightly amused look. "Ah. It seems like I have learned something new today."

Rosa gathered her pluck and added, "Yes. I want to see you and Marius have a go at each other. I think its all the tension I see between you two during meetings."

Marius gave Rosa a smile. "Thank you," he mouthed, before kneeling in front of Vyn's chair.

The tip of his tongue flicked at that sweet spot just underneath the cock head.

He was rewarded with a soft hissing from Vyn, and his cock twitched a little.

"Shit." Marius's lips finally wrapped around Vyn's shaft; his tongue relishing the taste and feel of Vyn inside his mouth. Goddamnit. Finally. After all of those times having to endure Vyn's presence alone as he taught him supplementary lessons; all of those times wherein he let his mind wander, imagining how the silver-haired, exotic-looking man tasted and felt in that way...

Slowly his mouth descended to take in Vyn inch by sweet inch, until the tip of his tutor's cock hit the back of his throat.

Marius then felt Vyn's hand on the top of his head, prompting him to move...

Haha. So impatient. He then sucked on Vyn's cock; his tongue massaging the underside of the shaft inside his mouth.

Marius could now hear Vyn pant, and if he strained his ears a little bit he fancied he could hear him moan everytime he sucked on Vyn's cock.

His hand stimulated the base of the shaft that his mouth could no longer accommodate, and pumped it in time with his sucking.

I better get good grades for this, Marius thought as he gave Vyn the same treatment he wanted on his own cock.

"Damn it. I am near, Marius--" Vyn whispered. "You better remove your mouth now, or I will..."

Vyn's words only prompted Marius to suck him harder and faster.

"Fuck." Vyn groaned as he shot his come straight into Marius's throat; some of his white, hot come dribbling along the edges of his student's lips. "Ah..!" He drove his head further into the backrest of his swivel chair.

Marius swallowed, and licked off the remaining traces of sperm off of Vyn's cock and off his own fingers.

"That was way better than expected," Marius murmured.

Eighth Round: Vyn

"There's something I really, really want to observe," Marius said. "For a painting study."

"What is it?" asked Vyn, after having recovered from his student's superb treatment.

Marius grinned. "How a cock looks like, fucking pussy," he said. "I mean yeah sure there's porn, but nothing is better than seeing it in real life, yeah?"

"You want me to fuck Rosa in front of you, you mean."

"Mhm. Though before that, I need you to not move yet. I want to look at a pussy filled with cock up close."

"Heh. Just what painting are you working on now? Vyn asked, as he motioned for Rosa to climb on his lap.

As Rosa clambered over to sit on Vyn's thighs Marius reached over to grasp Vyn's cock, still only half-hard as he recovered from the head he had received earlier.

Marius slowly pumped the shaft, and rubbed its tip against Rosa's wet sex. He licked his lips as he felt Vyn grow harder in his hands. "Oh yeah," he said lustily as he guided his tutor's shaft into Rosa's dripping wet heat.

Marius quietly observed how Rosa's pussy slowly descended upon Vyn's cock, devouring it within her folds; her clitoris hardening, its pink tip tantalizingly moist and begging to be licked...

And once again, Marius knelt in front of Vyn's chair, letting his eyes behold the fucking in action better under the dim emergency lights. His face was so close that both Vyn and Rosa could feel his hot breath on their nethers, his hot breath that added to their arousal.

"Ah, shit," Marius muttered. "Sorry, but..."

He licked, in one motion, the base of Vyn's cock and letting the flat of his tongue run up to the crest of Rosa's clit, which he enveloped with his lips, sucking on it.

Rosa cried out in sheer pleasure, and she started to gyrate her hips, burying her clit even deeper against Marius's lips as Vyn--hissing and at times cursing--fucked her wet inner folds at the same time.

"Oh my god," Rosa moaned. "Oh god."

Marius continued on working his tongue and lips to further help his fucking colleagues reach their peak, indulging himself in such wanton delight that resulted from hearing their moans and cries; with Rosa at times moaning Marius's name out loud all the while being fucked by Vyn.

Marius found that immensely hot.

In one sweet, sweet moment Rosa's cries reached a crescendo, echoed by Vyn's groans as he started to rail her hard and fast, her breasts bouncing every time his cock drove deep into her.

Marius eventually tasted Vyn's come dripping out from Rosa's pussy.

He watched contentedly as the two lovers locked lips, kissing each other deeply in front of him.

Ninth Round: Rosa

"Fine, fine, Dare then," muttered Rosa after Marius--with a bit of support from Vyn--badgered her into choosing Dare instead of the safer Truth.

"Teehee. Missy~"

"I do not like the sound of that, Marius," Rosa murmured.

Marius shrugged. "Isn't it a little bit too late for that, Missy? he said. "I dare you to make out with me."

He looked over at Vyn. "There shouldn't be any problem at this point, yeah?"'

"It is still a sore point for me, but as long as you make it a pleasurable experience for my Rosa, then I will be amenable to it," Vyn said.

"Damn it Vyn, that's just too many words to say "Yes, you can make out with Rosa."

"Just do it." Vyn tsk-ed. "Rosa, you are alright with it, I assume?"

"Uhuh," Rosa said, and faced Marius. "How do we--oh."

Marius picked her up from her seat easily, holding her under her arms, and he deposited her on his lap as he sat back on his chair. "Missy, I finally get to have some one on one fun with you~"

"Under supervision," Vyn reminded him.

Marius smirked. "Yes. Under hot supervision."

"Mhm," he hummed as he brought his lips to Rosa's, enjoying the slight tremble that he could feel on her lips. "Missy, are you nervous, or are you excited?" he asked, his mouth still pressed against hers.

"How about both?" Rosa answered as she licked Marius's lower lip rather impulsively.

Smiling, Marius then trailed kisses down her neck--starting off as small, chaste pecks, eventually escalating to openmouthed ravenous kisses making full use of his tongue and mouth--lingering at that certain sensitive spot where the underside of the jaw met with the neck. He gave it a small bite, and reveled at how Rosa moaned his name out loud in front of Vyn.

"Ohoh, looks like little Missy likes where she is right now," Marius said teasingly, letting fingers brush lightly against her slit.

The tips of his fingers caught her slick, and he did not even press them against her arousal. "See, Vyn? I can make cry out, cream herself, and..."

He slowly slipped in two fingers inside her, the inner walls of her eager sex hungrily sucking in his digits. Marius then pulled out his fingers until only the tips remained inside her, then drove it back inside with such force that made Rosa whimper for more, her hips grinding ever so sweetly against his hand.

"...I can also make her beg for my touch. How about that, Vyn?" He dipped down to suck on one of Rosa's breasts as he fingered her so deliciously.

The man in question was intently observing how Marius fingerfucked his lover, chin resting on hand. "The reason why she is moving her hips in such a manner is due to the fact that you are neglecting her clitoris," he said quietly, focus directed towards Rosa's pleasure. "Do be mindful and give her some relief."

Oh.

"Sorry Missy," Marius whispered as he licked Rosa's earlobe. "Got too excited, you know?"

Marius flicked her sensitive nub with the pad of his thumb. As if by clockwork, Rosa tightened her arms around Marius's neck, moaning and begging for more of that exact same touch as she continued to grind into his hands; driving his fingers even deeper, rubbing his thumb even more firmly against her clit.

"Haha. I can see why Vyn is all over you Missy," Marius murmured as he bit her gently on her nape. "You're so responsive. You effortlessly stroke his ego..."

"In case you were not paying any attention to anything other than your dick, Marius, Rosa is also most inquisitive, pure hearted, steadfast in her beliefs...and lovely." Vyn said, his eyes never leaving how his student was having his delicious way with his Rosa. "I fell in love with her because of those qualities and more. The fact that she is absolutely delicious upon my bed is the veritable cherry on top."

The wholehearted confession delivered in such an inappropriate setting made Rosa pause. "Vyn," she whispered, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was openly cavorting with his student in front of him.

"Do not mind me, pet," Vyn purred, his free hand finding its way to his cock. "I am enjoying your show. Mind, though, that you should ready yourself for when we finally get out." He started jerking himself off as he watched them. "I shall be applying all of the newfound ways on how to pleasure you on my bed.

"Continue," said Vyn, directed at his student as if they were in a classroom setting.

"Damnit Vyn, you really are something else," muttered Marius as he pulled Rosa closer for another kiss.

Tenth Round: Marius

"Dare," Marius said.

They have been going at it for some time now, and he was so absorbed in the experience of participating in a sexual encounter with his two favorite people, Vyn and Rosa, that the fact that he hasn't orgasmed yet, not even once, totally slipped his mind.

Marius prayed fervently that the dare thrown his way would finally bring him the release he now so badly craved.

He was totally wrong. With Rosa still coming down from her fucked-out haze Vyn was left in charge of giving his dare.

"No need to be so worked up, Marius," Vyn said, grinning. "I am not asking you to do anything. In fact,"

Vyn lifted Rosa off her seat, and, with one arm cradling Rosa against him, his free arm knocked all items off the glass table, sending papers, his own tablet, and a couple of mugs onto the carpeted floor.

Gently he laid Rosa face down on the surface of the glass table, her ass dangling off the edge.

"What I am asking you, Marius, is to not do anything, as you watch me rail my significant other senseless onto our conference table," Vyn said, smiling cruelly at his student. "If I catch you touching yourself, or giving yourself relief by rubbing yourself against anything, we will terminate this game. Understood?"

"Vyn, you're scaring me sometimes," Rosa said as she felt him grasp her thighs, lifting them to his sides, the tip of his cock partly lodged inside her at the ready. "Also, you're adding your own rules to the game. No termination if Marius couldn't help himself!"

"What she said!" Marius cried out.

Vyn laughed softly. "Ah, but dearest, this is the only way you can effectively discipline spoiled brats like Marius here. Positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement. Punishment by removal."

And Vyn buried himself deep into Rosa in one thrust. "Fuck. So delicious."

He proceeded to drive his length in and out of Rosa's heated inner walls with slow, steady movements, each stroke long and drawn out, prolonging their pleasure.

"B-but--aahn--that means--ah! We get to lose--oh god--too!" Rosa moaned in between exquisite thrusts that seemed to drive him deeper into her quivering heat.

Vyn threw a glance at Marius, making sure that the student kept to the conditions he set. "I will make--hahh--it up to you pet, and more--ah, damn--once we get out--"

Marius gulped. The show Vyn put on to torture him was proving to be very, very, effective.

From his vantage point, despite the dim glow of the emergency lights, he could see how Vyn's cock pierced Rosa's lewd flesh over and over, her arousal dripping wetness onto the edge of the glass table.

Vyn's relentless, strong fucking was also producing loud, wet noises that Marius could never associate with any other thing than sex.

The sight and sounds were driving Marius quite mad.

But if I jerk myself, its all game over for me. These horndogs though, they'll probably go at it again in Vyn's room...

Marius clearly agonized, and it was apparent all over his face.

Vyn only sneered at Marius as he fucked Rosa thoroughly in front of him.

"Vyn, I'll get you for this," growled Marius as he sat on his hands, fully determined to not lose out on Vyn's challenge.

Vyn laughed, then placed his palms onto Rosa's shoulders. "I will be rough, my pet," he whispered to her ear as he bent over and braced himself.

His elbows planted onto the table, Vyn started to drive in fast and hard into Rosa with piston-like movements, railing her onto the glass table, his thrusts strong enough to shake its metal frame.

"F-fuck, Vyn," cried Rosa, "This is--aah--too much!"

"I will make it up to you," Vyn hissed as he furiously chased his peak. "Just let me have my way--ahn--this once!"

Vyn was worked up from my teasing beforehand, Marius soon realized. Damn bastard won't even admit it.

"Aaahh!" This time it was Vyn who cried out loud, throwing his head back and pulling out of Rosa just in time enough for him to shoot out ropes of hot white come all over her back.

Fuck. Marius blinked. That was the first time he heard Vyn cry out in pleasure. Or rather, since this was the only instance where he got to be this intimate with his tutor, it was the only time Marius got to witness Vyn lose himself in utmost pleasure.

So hot.

He gulped, and caught himself just before his fingers found his cock.

Eleventh (Last) Round: Vyn

"Dare. I am calling it, as I will be the one giving myself the dare," Vyn announced.

Marius, already testy with the prolonged withdrawal of relief, said, "Great, mister God here just writes up his own rules even though he did not come up with this game in the first place."

"I would suggest you let me finish first before you whine, lest you miss out on this benefit, said Vyn blithely. "Well, are you still interested, Marius?"

Marius sighed. "And what choice do I have, Vyn? Let's hear it. Your dare to yourself."

Vyn walked up to where Marius sat, and in what seemed to be a flash of fey illusion he tenderly ruffled the student's hair, smiling gently down at him.

"You were so good earlier. Let me reward you."

What.

"Um. Has anything possessed you, Vyn?" Marius gulped nervously, the drastic 180 on Vyn's personality sending him spiraling into sheer panic.

He has since learned from his years of knowing Vyn that he can never let his guard down around him. Or rather, Vyn had been training him to act guardedly around people the likes of him, a skill that was essential for someone fated to assume a high position in a conglomerate.

"What do you think?" Vyn asked quietly as he let his fingertips caress Marius's cheek.

"Haha. What do I think? Um." Marius sweated bullets, absolutely taken aback by the sudden reversal of events. "I think you're toying with me again, Vyn. You're a real bastard and honestly sometimes I want to take Rosa away from you, for her own good."

Vyn chuckled. "What if I told you that this is purely for her benefit?"

Marius threw a glance towards Rosa, who indeed was staring them intently, as if watching a show that she had been waiting for years to finally air.

Rosa, who now walked towards them and bent over Marius, planting a small kiss on his cheek. "Mm, you've been a good boy, Marius," Rosa whispered sweetly in his ear. "Let us treat you to something nice."

Oh right. Rosa gets off on watching me and Vyn have a go at each other.

Are they going to...?

"Alright," Marius said, settling himself onto his chair. "Let's see it, your reward."

"Ready, love?" Vyn whispered as he knelt in front of Marius.

"Mhm." Rosa followed suit, sitting on the floor beside her lover, just in front where Marius sat.

Wait. WAIT. Marius gasped.

Are they...?

Vyn's tongue flicked at the tip of Marius's long-unattended cock. Then, holding Marius's gaze with his gold eyes, his lips lightly kissed its tip.

Marius groaned. Shit.

Rosa leaned in and planted her lips along the underside of his shaft, lightly sucking at the skin before stroking the entire length with the tip of her tongue.

They are absolutely double-teaming me. Fuck. Please don't let this be a dream, god, Marius' breathing picked up as he gripped his armrests tightly. He thought of many other words, but he only managed to verbalize Fuck.

The magnificent sensations of two tongues, two pairs of lips, two mouths working his cock sent Marius laughing helplessly, an arm now slung across his eyes now closed to let him drown himself in their sweet, exquisite, hungry touches.

A tongue sliding across his shaft. A mouth swallowing most of his length, sucking along the way. A gentle, warm hand cupping his balls. Two tongues running the length of his shaft. Lips encircling his tip just as a tongue lapped at his base...

"Do you like this, Marius? This positive reinforcement? Are you not glad you have waited til then end for your release?" Vyn asked before taking his student's cock in his mouth once again.

"Shit Vyn--ah, god--if this is your positive reinforcement lets do this every session and I'll pass with honors," Marius said, almost whimpering, close to coming. "I swear I'll graduate with honors!"

Rosa giggled as she tongued Marius.

"Now, now, let us not get ahead of ourselves, Marius," Vyn said as his mouth let go of Marius's length. "I am already spoken for."

"Ah shit, so close," the student groaned.

And then his eyes landed on the two who so sweetly treated his cock: Vyn and Rosa, who gave themselves a deep, sensuous, French kiss...only with his cock between their lips.

The sight completely destroyed him, and Marius came in copious spurts of hot come, only for Vyn to take the tip of his cock halfway as he orgasmed to catch the student's remaining sperm in his mouth.

As Marius was fully spent Vyn pressed his lips to Rosa's waiting own, feeding her with Marius's come.

All this Vyn did as he held Marius's gaze with a lust-filled grin.

"Goddamnit, Vyn," Marius moaned, now convinced that he was, for all intents and purposes thoroughly owned.

"Enter the 90th percentile, and we shall pick up the conversation of doing this again," Vyn whispered before licking the sperm that trickled from of Rosa's lips.

"Shit. You're fucking on."