#and affiliated nerds

[kivrin]

This is the gospel book that was carried in procession at the coronation of Charles III. Special Collections Library Twitter has been, well, atwitter.

[frozenhi-chews]

Sooner or later, any romantic relationship with Pancake will turn downright religious. Where sappy puppy-love turns into genuine devotion, where both parties go from light flustering to dedicated laughter and commitment. Where they both worship each other. It becomes sacred.

Anyways developing new Starcake lore, imagine what comes up next

[illogarithmil]

This week in "VERY SERIOUS paramilitaries who you should take seriously"

[wizardteampod]

Need to buy and read Bloodmarked before our spoiler-heavy season?

Head over to our list on Black Nerds Create's Bookshop where you can not only get Bloodmarked but also the other books we've covered on the podcast!

Buying from Bookshop supports both us AND indie bookstores with no extra cost to you!

[reloaderror]

all my colleagues are nerds, possibly also weebs

[sammyscloset]

Join Our Groups!

Hello you absolutely beautiful souls! I wanted to thank everyone who has stumbled upon my page and interacted with my posts, it means a lot to me. I really love sharing the things I am interested in with the world through shopping and its great finding people who have the same interests as me. So thank you for all the kindness and I would love for everyone to join our Facebook group and add our other socials so we can get this family growing. This is a fun, expressive safe place for everyone. If you love shopping, anime, art, nerdy stuff and all around randomness, then you've most certainly come to the right place. Please feel free to stick around for a while and enjoy your shopping adventure here at Sammy's Closet. :) <3

*thank you for your patience through all of this. I am still new to setting up and running a blog and multiple pages. If you have any advice or suggestions please feel free to tell me. As a content creator, your opinions/voices mean the word to me.*

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[doctor-meaty]

Hallows End 0.4% Mount Drop

Hallows End 0.4% Mount Drop

[HTTPS://LINKTR.EE/DOCTORMEATY]

[cauterisen]

contemplating where i should put kimiko in an hsr/hsr adjacent verse...

[mostlysignssomeportents]

China hacked Verizon, AT&T and Lumen using the FBI’s backdoor

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

State-affiliated Chinese hackers penetrated AT&T, Verizon, Lumen and others; they entered their networks and spent months intercepting US traffic – from individuals, firms, government officials, etc – and they did it all without having to exploit any code vulnerabilities. Instead, they used the back door that the FBI requires every carrier to furnish:

https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/u-s-wiretap-systems-targeted-in-china-linked-hack-327fc63b?st=C5ywbp&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

In 1994, Bill Clinton signed CALEA into law. The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act requires every US telecommunications network to be designed around facilitating access to law-enforcement wiretaps. Prior to CALEA, telecoms operators were often at pains to design their networks to resist infiltration and interception. Even if a telco didn't go that far, they were at the very least indifferent to the needs of law enforcement, and attuned instead to building efficient, robust networks.

Predictably, CALEA met stiff opposition from powerful telecoms companies as it worked its way through Congress, but the Clinton administration bought them off with hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to acquire wiretap-facilitation technologies. Immediately, a new industry sprang into being; companies that promised to help the carriers hack themselves, punching back doors into their networks. The pioneers of this dirty business were overwhelmingly founded by ex-Israeli signals intelligence personnel, though they often poached senior American military and intelligence officials to serve as the face of their operations and liase with their former colleagues in law enforcement and intelligence.

Telcos weren't the only opponents of CALEA, of course. Security experts – those who weren't hoping to cash in on government pork, anyways – warned that there was no way to make a back door that was only useful to the "good guys" but would keep the "bad guys" out.

These experts were – then as now – dismissed as neurotic worriers who simultaneously failed to understand the need to facilitate mass surveillance in order to keep the nation safe, and who lacked appropriate faith in American ingenuity. If we can put a man on the moon, surely we can build a security system that selectively fails when a cop needs it to, but stands up to every crook, bully, corporate snoop and foreign government. In other words: "We have faith in you! NERD HARDER!"

NERD HARDER! has been the answer ever since CALEA – and related Clinton-era initiatives, like the failed Clipper Chip program, which would have put a spy chip in every computer, and, eventually, every phone and gadget:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip

America may have invented NERD HARDER! but plenty of other countries have taken up the cause. The all-time champion is former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who, when informed that the laws of mathematics dictate that it is impossible to make an encryption scheme that only protects good secrets and not bad ones, replied, "The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia":

https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-laws-of-australia-will-trump-the-laws-of-mathematics-turnbull/

CALEA forced a redesign of the foundational, physical layer of the internet. Thankfully, encryption at the protocol layer – in the programs we use – partially counters this deliberately introduced brittleness in the security of all our communications. CALEA can be used to intercept your communications, but mostly what an attacker gets is "metadata" ("so-and-so sent a message of X bytes to such and such") because the data is scrambled and they can't unscramble it, because cryptography actually works, unlike back doors. Of course, that's why governments in the EU, the US, the UK and all over the world are still trying to ban working encryption, insisting that the back doors they'll install will only let the good guys in:

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

Any back door can be exploited by your adversaries. The Chinese sponsored hacking group know as Salt Typhoon intercepted the communications of hundreds of millions of American residents, businesses, and institutions. From that position, they could do NSA-style metadata-analysis, malware injection, and interception of unencrypted traffic. And they didn't have to hack anything, because the US government insists that all networking gear ship pre-hacked so that cops can get into it.

This isn't even the first time that CALEA back doors have been exploited by a hostile foreign power as a matter of geopolitical skullduggery. In 2004-2005, Greece's telecommunications were under mass surveillance by US spy agencies who wiretapped Greek officials, all the way up to the Prime Minister, in order to mess with the Greek Olympic bid:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_wiretapping_case_2004%E2%80%9305

This is a wild story in so many ways. For one thing, CALEA isn't law in Greece! You can totally sell working, secure networking gear in Greece, and in many other countries around the world where they have not passed a stupid CALEA-style law. However the US telecoms market is so fucking huge that all the manufacturers build CALEA back doors into their gear, no matter where it's destined for. So the US has effectively exported this deliberate insecurity to the whole planet – and used it to screw around with Olympic bids, the most penny-ante bullshit imaginable.

Now Chinese-sponsored hackers with cool names like "Salt Typhoon" are traipsing around inside US telecoms infrastructure, using the back doors the FBI insisted would be safe.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, 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/2024/10/07/foreseeable-outcomes/#calea

Image: Kris Duda, modified https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahorcado/5433669707/

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

[keeksandgigz]

okay okay hear me out-

modern eddie and his witchy gf. crystals, incense, tarot, palm readings, the whole shabang.

he lets her give him a reading.

“Look, Ed! the empress means that you have a significant female figure in your life” and he’s loving this because he’s a nerd and it ties perfectly with his DnD affiliations, but he’s also a man.

“What card is gonna tell me i’m gonna get some sick pussy in like five minutes?”

And then you whack him in the head.

[8em-em-em8]

After that last chapter I've got an idea where Izuku and Katsuki ends up as acquaintance more that real friends over the years because post canon Katsuki tries to put distance in between them to try to move on. Izuku often thinks about him and what they had but thinks the fact that they fell apart is more because they are both busy with their jobs than anything else. Doesn't realise he broke Katsuki's heart and no one tells him (they know, they just don't want to get murdered by Bakugo/make it worse since Midorya apparently chose Ochaco).

Bakugo gets married 2 years later, his partner is a fellow hero, a man, and he becomes a bit of a queer icon because of course Bakugo takes no bullshit. But yeah, most informations Izuku gets about Bakugo are either on the news or second hand from their mutual friends (Dynamight's affiliated to high risks fights missions and Deku more of a rescue guy now, helping when he can, so they don't meet often on the field).

Until one day several years later, Izuku has been living alone for a year, since he broke up with Ochaco, and someone is at the door at 9pm.

Opening the door is like a punch in the face : Katsuki looks tired, and his eyes are red rimmed, and even if Izuku hasn't seen him do so often in his life, it's obvious he cried. He has a big bag thrown over one of his shoulder, and on the other is resting the head of a sleeping toddler.

Izuku's only seen the baby in pictures before but she has the same face as her father even though her hair are a strong black rather than an untameable blond mop.

''Kacchan?''

''Hey nerd.'' Katsuki sounds embarrassed, but maybe too tired to be angry about it. ''I know we- I know we're not really friends anymore but... Can we crash here tonight?''

You don't have to ask Izuku twice, and maybe he doesn't understand yet, but he doesn't hesitate one second before taking Katsuki to his room.

''You sure?'' Katsuki hesitates on the threshold. ''Were are you going to sleep?''

''I'm sure. There is not enough space on the futon for two person and I'm pretty sure you'll want to stay with her. Haru, right?''

For a second, Katsuki looks at him and it's maybe the first time Izuku gets to see such a heartbreaking emotion on his face. He looks thankful, maybe even fond, but also profoundly sad.

''... Yeah, her name is Haru.'' he confirms, kissing her little forehead- and isn't that a sight. ''Forgot you never seen her before.'' Katsuki adds before putting a knee to the bed and carefully bending down to put his daughter on the wall side of the bed. The little girl doesn't stir, and after making sure she's well tucked, Katsuki follows Izuku out.

He let the door half open, probably to be sure to hear if Haru wakes up before he goes to bed.

They end up on the couch, Katsuki with his head in his hand. And Izuku is struck by how much he doesn't know his childhood friend anymore when he goes to rub his back but holds back, not sure how it will be received.

''Do you want to talk about it?'' he asks.

For a second silence rings in the appartement, only broken by the sound of the fridge, but then Katsuki's shoulder start to tremble and just like that he is crying again.

''I made a mistake.'' He says, voice rough while he rubs furiously at his eyes. ''I made a huge fucking mistake. I should have known, we should have talked about it, I should have seen the signs-''

When Izuku sees Katsuki's fists starting to fizzle, little tendrils of smoke escaping from between his clenched fingers, it's like all caution flies out the window : he immediately grads them, trying to soothe his friend.

''Kacchan.''

''I'm divorcing my husband.'' Katsuki spits, and here is the anger. The hate is so clear in his tear soaked eyes that even tho Izuku himself never men him, he despites the man instantly.

''Did he... Did he cheat on you?'' Izuku tries, wanting to understand.

Katsuki's laugh is bitter and cold.

''If only.'' he rubs at his eyes again, but then he puts his hand back in Izuku's and Izuku is embarrassed to feel warmth at that gesture, to see that even after all these years, he can still be a source of comfort for Kacchan. ''This afternoon we... We learned that Haru is quirkless.''

Oh.

Oh.

Izuku feels like he was doused with an ice water bucket. Involuntarily his fingers clench on Katsuki's hand.

''What happened?'' he asks, not even sure he's ready for the answer.

''Ueda he- it's like I didn't know him anymore. He started to shout at everyone, he insulted the doctor, called our surrogate mother all the names he could think of, as if it was her fault. As there was any fault to have.'' Izuku can feel his eyes fill with tears, his eyes bored into Katsuki's panicked ones. ''I swear 'Zuku, I tried to talk to him about it, I fucking swear. But he didn't want to hear anything, he- he called Haru useless. I thought she was in her room, I didn't want her to hear all that shit but she came out to ask for a drink and he just pointed at her and said he wouldn't have an useless kid.'' another sob breaks Katsuki's voice and now they are both gripping at each other. Their clenched hands are uncomfortable with sweat but it's the last of Izuku's problems, because right now Katsuki needs him. ''I swear she's the only reason I didn't kill him on the spot. I just took her overnight bag and we left. You were the only person I could think of.''

Izuku nods, and hesitantly he lifts a hand, just a suggestion, but Katsuki doesn't seems to think about it long before Izuku is engulfed in a desperate hug. He can feel that Katsuki is still crying, he knows it's better not to say anything about it. Instead Izuku rocks his friend, just a little.

''You did good. The both of you can stay as long as you want.''

[jaycewithawhy]

This is Curt Leviant's translation! I highly recommend picking up the full volume if you can - it's only about $20 new and includes a series of incredibly interesting and well written essays discussing the historical and specifically Jewish context of the text.

I was thin on reading material here until I realized I had saved this online document to my phone after coming across the link on tumblr a while ago. It's an English translation of part of the Arthur story written in Hebrew in 1279 ad and it's fascinating. Comments to follow! (Please note that I am not very familiar with Jewish or rabbinical literature; I hope to be respectful, and welcome any correction or clarification.)

[echoingspectrum]

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡

☆ pairing : gamer!streamer!dan heng・character!reader

☆ synopsis : how does it feel to be in dan heng's shoes and vice versa?

☆ word count : 1.1k words

☆ cw : ooc!dan heng・that's all~ here's the headcanon!

⌗ Oh, how the tables have turned~ Instead of the usual gamer you and character Dan Heng, this time it's the other way around, with Dan Heng behind the screen and you as the newest character that developers have introduced to the game in the early version. 

⌗ I imagine Dan Heng plays Honkai Star Rail 24/7, so he knows every lore like the back of his hand. He must have a deeper understanding of the game mechanics and its attributes, creating a sense of career for this game. Like a cute nerd he is~

⌗ Not only is he a gamer, he's also a streamer. He streams moderately, sharing tips and tricks with his fellow gamers, but he is known to stream Honkai Star Rail contents. He enjoys engaging with his audience and discussing strategies, making him a valuable resource for the gaming community. 

⌗ He even streams with his fellow streamers, especially with Caelus. They often get labeled by the viewers as the chaotic duo due to their dynamic and entertaining banter during gameplay. 

⌗ Now, let's proceed to you~

⌗ With version 2.4 approaching, there was a leak of your character saying that you'd be one of the important figures of one of the Xianzhou Alliance, and everyone was suspecting that you'd either be one of the swordsmen or the arbiter-general, similarly to Jingyuan or Jingliu. 

⌗ Do you know the Silhouttes marketing drip that the HSR developers posted? There were eight of them⏤including you. Ever since the new March 7th drip marketing, everyone has been hyped for the following characters that are soon to be released. 

⌗ There are four characters hailing from the Yaoqing, others from the Zhuming, and March categorize in Luofu. One in particular that caught their attention is your silhouette banner, which illustrates your figure with your desired weapon in your grasp, bird crane origami surrounding you, and a subtle winged dragon shadow hovering in the background.

⌗ Meanwhile, Dan Heng, being one of the lore fanatics, has speculated that you may be one of the Vidyadhara species like Bailu⏤Correction. He's not just speculating; he's certain of his theory. Despite the lack of the draconic features in your character, you're somehow linked to the Vidyadhara race.

⌗ The developers dropped an animation where the five high elders of Vidyadhara are shown, and one of them bears a striking resemblance to your silhouetted character. This has sparked even more speculation from Dan Heng about your true identity and affiliation to the Vidyadhara race. 

⌗ Despite you're in a cameo, Dan Heng is captivated by your character design; it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The developers must increase their efforts to include more details about your character in future updates to satisfy the demands of players. 

⌗ Although he notices that you lack the draconic features present in the other high elders, this would mean that your hidden role must be disclosed in later updates. 

⌗ While streaming, Dan Heng nonchalantly talks about you and the design itself, even theorizing what unit you will be in the future and the most effective relics that would give you massive damage. 

⌗ Do you guys know those informative videos where content creators break down every aspect of a character's abilities, potential damage, which lightcone suits them, or what pieces of relics would give them a buff? Dan Heng is one of those, except he's quite immersive when it comes to you.

⌗ The audience quickly notices how passionate Dan Heng is, and they labeled him as a SIMP for you. He himself hasn't noticed how well absorbed he is into you, which is terrifying to say the least.

⌗ Imagine the day when the new patch was released and Xianzhou had added a recent interlude story mission, which somehow ties to you and other characters, and Dan Heng immediately logged in to the game with breakneck speed. 

⌗ Do you guys know that every time a new story is added to the game, there's the main cover of the chapter? Where are all the major characters going to be included in the story? Yeah⏤that's basically what Den Heng is seeing right now! There's a midnight-isque backdrop, and the characters are having a smile on their faces, enjoying whatever the heck they are doing. But that's not what Den Heng is focused on.

⌗ In the corner of the cover, there's a suspicious figure in a clay blue colored cloak that seems to be hanging around with several children who are all circling around the figure. Squinting his eyes, he sees a tuff of your hair out of the cloak. He's now certain that you'll be part of the story somehow. 

⌗ During the story, Dan Heng ( he's streaming the walkthrough ) secretly basks at every moment of your screen time; he screamed internally at your first appearance⏤or every time of your appearances; he would take a minute or so to glance at your expression and design every chance he gets. His fangirl moment. 

⌗ Your voice was pleasant to hear. The audience started to spam him with SIMP texts in the chats or even memes due to his not-so-subtle, flustered reactions. Overall, he enjoyed the mission story. Because you were in it.

⌗ Now, he's waiting for anyone who leaks your gameplay.⏤Who am I kidding…HE'S THE ONE WHO LEAKS YOUR GAMEPLAY AND IDLE ANIMATION. He may seem to be a reserved guy, but mentally, he's zealous. He enjoys and approves your gameplay and animation because they are appropriate to your character and your aesthetic. 

⌗ One of your idle animations consists of creating a bird crane origami and letting it fly away, watching it with awe. A unique feature of this is that for each bird crane origami you've created, different colors and patterns are displayed.

⌗ Another idle animation of yours is⏤since in your default form, you appeared to be human. Then clouds materialize and envelope your figure. With a burst of wind, it showed your Vidyadhara form. 

⌗ In your gameplay, however, before entering the battle, you were still in your default form. Following entering a battle, you've changed into your Vidyadhara form, draconic features and all. Similar mechanics with Firefly/SAM. Your author is biased when it comes to dragon-based characters. I'll let you imagine your basic attack, skills, and ult. 

⌗ Once your banner is dropped, oh boy…Dan Heng is going to E6 and S5 of you and your signature lightcone. AND HE FRICKING DID! Giving you the best relic and maximizing your talents. Every battle he encounters, he always wins, and hearing your triumphant voice line, he's proud of himself. This guy is fucking devoted y'all. If only I had money, then I could E6 Imbibitor Lunae. 

⌗ He subtly boasts you and your build to his viewers and his fellow streamers. Caelus lost his 50/50 in your banner and got Bailu instead, but at least it's also a Vidyadhara. Overall, Dan Heng adores your character and loves to see more of you in the future patches. 

[sinful-lanterns]

Ok, so I saw the Chelsea pearl cum thirst and for obvious reasons my mind went to oviposition, and then I got the best idea ever.

I present to you...

✨Path to Nowhere Monster AU!✨

Reader a regular, everyday citizen somehow finds herself in the middle of many monsters getting infatuated with her then they proceed to try court reader and make her their mate.

I got a good list of what type of monsters I think the sinners would be, I also wanted to keep a variety of monsters so there aren't any doubles.

Cheif - Witch

Nightingale - Cheif's apprentice or familiar

Uni - Frankenstein Monster

Cinnabar - Centaur

Ninety-Nine - Hellhound

Rahu - Werewolf

Oak Casket - Litch or something else undead/ that affiliates with dead things

Hamel - Puppet or Kraken

NOX - Grim Reapper

Bai Yi - Jinn (I looked it up and jinns move super fast and can phase through solid matter.)

Serpent - Naga

Shalom - Fallen Angel

Lamia - Siren

Chealse - Gorgon (She turns people into gems instaed of stone, she can turn things into gems with physical contact too, oh and her hair can shift between human hair and snake hair.)

Cassia - Vampire

Eirene - Dragon

Stargazer - Geinie

Conquelic - Succubus

Garofano - Drider(Half human, half spider)

Deren - Reality Bending Eldritch Horror (I don't have a name for her monster specifically but she'd be some kind of godly horror.)

This is all I have right now, but feel free to use and change whatever you wish!

This is an old thirst but I’ve been saving it for when I was ready to share my thoughts on it 😌

ANYWAYS HHHHHHH. Monster girls are my obsession rn. Rather than an ordinary citizen though, I imagine Reader could be like a curious researcher who likes to document and explore different territories in which monsters inhabit. As she is wandering aimlessly for her research though, she stumbles upon various different monster women (many of which want to claim Reader for themselves) and it leads to interesting scenarios with them and the poor Researcher.

Researcher! Reader who oftentimes finds herself in the coils of a lamia, trapped in the web of a drider/arachne, or stuck in the middle of a vampire orgy while on her expeditions. Multiple times has she been the object of these monsters’ affection, yet all she wants to do is finish her guidebook on monsters and biology 😅

Oh, poor Reader… unfortunately for her, monster girls are attracted to cute oblivious nerds 😭😭

[listofwhyyouloveher]

Rip Dallas winston, you would've loved love Sosa and pretending to be big time gang affiliated

Rip sodapop, you would've loved those posts old people make where they actually don't know they've posted

Rip Ponyboy, you would've loved sunscreen with no white cast

Rip two bit and sodapop, you would've loved Kim petras and ayesha erotica

Rip Darry curtis you would've loved ai talking animals

Rip Steve randle you would've loved the nerd meme

Rip Johnny you would've loved get ready with me

[doctor-meaty]

🤠HOWDY🤠

🤹LIVE NOW🤹

🤠HOWDY🤠

🤹LIVE NOW🤹

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