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Blockchain interview - 120 questions, 360 minutes

Purpose of this blog

There no need to introduce Blockchain, the use of which is widespread, which has resulted in increasing

number of openings for candidates, applying for job’s ranging from novices to experts. A day or two prior to an interview, this blog might serve as companion, with the purpose of guiding applicants who intend to apply and get invited for an interview. The information on this blog is meant to help candidates prepare for interviews; it is not meant to be a comprehensive source of knowledge. A prerequisite is that applicant must already possess the necessary levels of expertise

Why does it matter?

Blockchain-related job interviews are no joke! Candidates that are very detail-oriented and have on-point abilities are what employers are searching for. Their questions are designed to test your ability to interact with the complex world of blockchain and provide solutions that are scalable, safe, and efficient.

Additionally, this type of exam evaluates an applicant's proficiency with the technologies underlying safe, hip decentralized apps.�� These tests assess the candidate's knowledge of cryptography, decision-making techniques, writing smart contracts, and the key technologies that maintain blockchains' strength and resilience. Blockchain-focused interviews need applicants to be precise since the creation and upkeep of blockchain systems call for a high degree of precision and attention to detail. Employers can determine whether a candidate has the abilities necessary to negotiate the complexity of blockchain architecture and design safe, efficient, and scalable solutions thanks to the uniqueness of Blockchain developer interview questions. . Reading, an article doesn’t automatically guarantee a job. This is a lengthy blog, intended to detail as much as possible.

Target reader’s

Candidate’s appearing for job interviews

Recruiters and interviewers, possibly interested in being abreast of the trend’s

The general public, those who are interested in being aware of this subject

The suggested recruitment process can be considered.

Written test, comprising 50 to 100 questions depending on the nature of the work, like a fresher, professional expert

Few companies might conduct mental, and verbal aptitude assessments

Once a candidate successfully completes the test and qualifies, he or she will be shortlisted and have to wait for an interview call

Based on the assessment result, a candidate will be called for an interview, in some cases, there are possibilities that even the technical and the final face-to-face interview might span 2 sessions, which are categorized into three categories Beginner, professional, and expert.

What is Blockchain and who is the inventor?

In 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin and blockchain technology to the world. Bitcoin was created as a secure, decentralized, global currency that could serve as an alternative to traditional fiat currency. guy by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin and introduced blockchain technology to the public in 2009. This is how blockchain got its start. The goal of Bitcoin was to provide a strong substitute for fiat money. worldwide money that is safe, decentralized, and capable of being exchanged. The currency was worth zero dollars in the first year. It now has a $126 million market capitalization. Nakamoto expanded upon the work of his predecessors. Although Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta had started developing a cryptographically protected chain of blocks before the existence of Bitcoin, the first blockchain wasn't fully conceived until Nakamoto's conception in 2008.

2. What are the five core pillars that power Blockchain?

The five core pillars are decentralized distributed ledgers, and the blockchain system mainly involves five core technologies: ledger data structure.

3. What are the five core pillars that power Blockchain?

The five core pillars are decentralized distributed ledgers, and the blockchain system mainly involves five core technologies: ledger data structure.

4. Differentiate between Blockchain and Hyperledger.

Blockchain is a decentralized technology that uses cryptography to safeguard a chain of unchangeable data called blocks. Hyperledger, on the other hand, is a platform or organization that facilitates the creation of private blockchains.

Blockchain allows you to create both public and private Blockchains, but Hyperledger can only build private Blockchains.

Blockchain is classified into three types: public, private, and consortium, with Hyperledger being a private Blockchain system that restricts access to its data, configurations, and programming to a pre-set set of users. Blockchain technology can be applied across various sectors, including business, government, and healthcare, among others. On the other hand, Hyperledger is primarily focused on enterprise-level solutions. When discussing public blockchain, it refers to the use of blockchain on the internet, whereas Hyperledger-based blockchain solutions are designed for intranet usage, within the confines of an organization.

5. How can you explain blockchain technology to a person who has not even heard the name

Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger that keeps transaction details in immutable or non-modifiable records (known as blocks) that are cryptographically secure. Consider the concept of a school where Blockchain functions similarly to a student's digital report card. For example, each block comprises a student record with a label (indicating the date and time of entry). Neither the teacher nor the student will be able to change the contents of that block or the record of report cards. Furthermore, the teacher has a private key that allows him/her to create new records, while the student has a public key that allows him to view and access the report card at any time. So, effectively, the teacher has the power to edit the record, whereas the student simply has the right to see it. This procedure secures the data.

6. What do blocks in Blockchain mean?

Blockchain is a decentralized ledger made up of unchangeable blocks of information, safeguarded by advanced encryption techniques. Please check out the video to explore the different components of a block, such as the previous hash, transaction details, nonce, and target hash value. A block serves as a historical log of each transaction that takes place. Every time a block is successfully verified, it is added to the main Blockchain in the order in which it was confirmed. Once the information is captured, it remains immutable.

7. What are the steps involved in Blockchain?

A blockchain transaction begins with the initiation of the transaction, followed by signing it with a digital signature, broadcasting it to the network, validating the transaction by network nodes, and finally including it in a new block after consensus is archived

8. List prominent blockchain platform/ technology

Ethereum

IBM Blockchain

Hyperledger fabric

Hyperledger sawtooth

Corda

Tezos

EOSIO

Stellar

Consensus Quorum

9. How is a Blockchain distributed ledger different from a traditional ledger?

A blockchain distributed ledger is highly transparent compared to a traditional ledger. Blockchain-distributed ledgers are also irreversible - information registered on them cannot be modified, unlike traditional ledgers where data can be changed.

Distributed ledgers are more secure, using cryptography to hash and record every transaction, whereas security can be compromised in traditional ledgers. Additionally, distributed ledgers have no central authority - they are decentralized systems where participants hold the authority to maintain the network and validate transactions. In contrast, traditional ledgers are based on centralized control.

In a distributed ledger, identities are unknown and hidden, whereas traditional ledger participants must have their identities known before transactions can occur. Distributed ledgers also have no single point of failure, as the data is distributed across multiple nodes. If one node fails, the other nodes maintain the information. Traditional ledgers, conversely, have a single point of failure - if the central system crashes, the entire network stops.

Data modification is not possible in a distributed ledger but can be done in a traditional ledger. Validation in a distributed ledger is performed by the network participants, while in a traditional ledger, it is done by a centralized authority. Finally, the ledger is shared amongst all participants in a distributed system, rather than maintained in a single centralized location as in traditional ledgers.

10. Describe the structure of a block

The structure of a block in a blockchain consists of four key elements: The hash value of the previous block, which links the current block to the previous one in the blockchain.

Details of several transaction data contained within the block.

A value called the nonce - a random number used to vary the hash value to generate a hash that is less than the target hash.

The hash of the block itself serves as the digital signature and unique identifier for the block. This hash is a 64-character alphanumeric value generated using the SHA-256 algorithm.

The header of the block consolidates the hash of the previous block, the transaction data, and the nonce. This header information is passed through a hashing function to generate the final hash value for the block

11. What is the role of crypto in Blockchain?

Incorporated information about public/private keys and how they are used for encryption/decryption in blockchain.

Explained more clearly how the cryptography secures user identities and ensures safe transactions through hash functions.

Used more concise and direct language to improve the overall clarity and flow of the sentence.

The rewritten version provides a more comprehensive and coherent explanation of how cryptography is leveraged within the blockchain network. The blockchain network utilizes the SHA-256 algorithm, a secure cryptographic hash function that generates a unique 64-character alphanumeric output for any given input. This one-way function allows for the derivation of an encrypted value from the original input but does not permit the reverse process of retrieving the input from the hash output.

12. What is the role of crypto in Blockchain?

Incorporated information about public/private keys and how they are used for encryption/decryption in blockchain.

Explained more clearly how the cryptography secures user identities and ensures safe transactions through hash functions.

Used more concise and direct language to improve the overall clarity and flow of the sentence.

13. What are the Different types of Blockchain

There are 3 types.

Public: Every internet user may see ledgers, and anyone can validate and contribute a block of transactions to the Blockchain. Ethereum and Bitcoin are two examples.

Private: Although ledgers may be seen online, only particular people inside the company can create and validate transactions. Although the data is publicly accessible, it is stored on a permissioned blockchain, with pre-set controllers inside the organization. Block stack is one example.

Consortium: Only particular nodes have power over the consensus process. Nonetheless, ledgers are accessible to any member of the consortium Blockchain. Ripple is one example.14.

14. How does the Deployment of files with multiple contracts happen?

In the Blockchain system, it's not feasible to upload a document containing several agreements. The compiler only executes the final agreement within the uploaded document, ignoring the other agreements.

15. What is a wallet?

A blockchain wallet also known as a digital wallet is a computer program that allows users to keep, control, and exchange digital currencies such as cryptocurrencies. The key purpose of a blockchain wallet is to create one-of-a-kind cryptographic keys; the latter can be public (for receiving payment) or private (for sending payment), thus guaranteeing the secureness and transparency of transactions.

Level 2: Professional/ Expert

How is the hash (Block signature) generated

Transmitting information about a transaction using a one-way hash function, specifically SHA-256.

Applying the result of this hash to a signature algorithm (such as ECDSA) using the user's private key.

By doing this, the encrypted hash, along with additional data (like the hashing method), is referred to as the digital signature. By applying these procedures, the encrypted hash, together with additional data (like the hashing method), is referred to as the digital signature

15. What are the extensively used algorithms?

SHA - 256

RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)

Triple DES

Ethash

Blowfish

16. What is a smart contract and its uses?

Smart contracts are self-executing contracts that encapsulate the terms and conditions of an agreement between parties.

Some of their applications include:

Transportation: The shipment of goods can be easily tracked using smart

contracts.

Protecting Copyrighted Content: Smart contracts can safeguard ownership rights, such as those related to music or books.

Insurance: They can identify fraudulent claims and prevent forgeries.

Employment Contracts: Smart contracts can facilitate the process of wage payments.

17. What is the Ethereum network and how many Ethereum networks are you familiar with?

Ethereum is a platform built on blockchain technology that allows for distributed computing, with the ability to support smart contracts. This feature empowers users to develop and launch their own decentralized applications. In Ethereum, there exist three distinct categories of networks:

1. Live Network (Primary Network) - This network is utilized for the deployment of smart contracts.

2. Test Network (Such as Ropsten, Kovan, Rinkeby) - These networks facilitate users in executing their smart contracts without incurring any fees before their deployment on the primary network.

3. Private Network - These networks are not connected to the primary network but operate within the confines of an organization, while retaining the functionalities associated with an Ethereum network

The blockchains for Bitcoin and Ethereum differ in that although they are both decentralized ledgers, Bitcoin functions as a digital currency with an emphasis on peer-to-peer transactions of its own coinage. Ethereum presents the idea of smart contracts, which are self-executing agreements wherein the parties' terms are explicitly encoded into computer code.

17. Explain the distinction between Bitcoin and anthurium blockchains

The blockchains for Bitcoin and Ethereum differ in that although they are both decentralised ledgers, Bitcoin functions as a digital currency with an emphasis on peer-to-peer transactions of its own coinage. Ethereum presents the idea of smart contracts, which are self-executing agreements wherein the parties' terms are explicitly encoded into computer code.

18. Describe Cryptocurrency mining, and the process involved?

The computational procedure used to validate transactions and add them to the blockchain, the public ledger, is known as cryptocurrency mining. Miners employ strong computers to get through challenging arithmetic issues. A specific number of Bitcoins are awarded to the miner when a new block is added to the network.

19. Where do nodes run a smart contract code?

Nodes execute smart contract code on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This virtual machine is specifically designed to function as a runtime environment for smart contracts built on Ethereum. The EVM operates within a sandboxed environment, isolated from the main network. This setup provides an ideal testing environment. Users can download the EVM, and execute your smart contract locally in an isolated manner, and once it has been thoroughly tested and verified, it can be deployed onto the main network.

20/What is a Dapp and how is it different from a normal application?

What is a Dapp and how is it different from a normal application?

Dapp is a decentralized application deployed using smart contracts. It consists of a backend code, or smart contract, which operates within a decentralized peer-to-peer network. The process involves three main components:

1. Front-end: This is the user interface that interacts with the application.

2. Smart Contract (Backend Code): This is the core of the application, responsible for executing transactions and managing data.

3. Blockchain (Peer-to-Peer Contract): This is the network layer that facilitates the interaction between the front end and the smart contract, ensuring secure and transparent transactions.

21. What is a Normal application?

A normal application features backend code that operates on a centralized server. It is a computer software application hosted on a central server. The process involves:

Front-end

API

Database (which runs on the server)

List a few prominent open-source platforms for developing Blockchain applications

Ethereum stands as one of the leading platforms for developing blockchain-based applications. Eris, on the other hand, is specifically designed for enterprise-focused solutions. Additionally, Hyperledger, Multichain, and Open Chain are among the other widely utilized platforms for creating blockchain applications. Recently, platform’s viz.

Ethereum

IBM Blockchain

Hyperledger fabric

Hyperledger sawtooth

Corda

Tezos

EOSIO

Stellar

ConsenSys Quorum,

are also being considered

22. What is the first parameter to be specified in the solidify file

Specifying the version number of Solidity at the beginning of the code is essential as it helps prevent compatibility errors that may occur during compilation with a different version. This clause is mandatory and must be included at the top of any Solidity code you write. Additionally, it's important to accurately mention the version number of the code.

23. What is the nonce and how is it used in mining

In Blockchain, mining involves validating transactions by solving a complex mathematical puzzle known as proof of work. Proof of work is the method used to determine a nonce and a cryptographic hash algorithm to generate a hash value lower than a specified target. The nonce is a random value employed to alter the hash value, ensuring that the resulting hash value satisfies the specified conditions.

What are the Steps involved in implementation?

24. Identification of the requirements

Identification of the requirements

Identify and list the issues and objectives

Find the best agreement process

Choose the most appropriate platform

Consider the costs of putting the plan into action and making it available

25. Planning

At this point, the person assesses all necessary criteria and chooses the best blockchain platform for implementation.

26. Development and implementation of the project

Architecture Design

User Interface Development

API Development

27. Identify the requirements

Identification of the requirements

Identify and list the issues and objectives

Find the best agreement process

Choose the most appropriate platform

Consider the costs of putting the plan into action and making it available

28. Planning At this point, the person assesses all necessary criteria and chooses the best blockchain platform for implementation.

29. What are the steps in the Development and implementation of the project

The step’s are

Architecture Design

User Interface Development

API Development

Project Control and Monitoring

32. What are the steps in the Development and implementation of the project

The steps are

Architecture Design

User Interface Development

API Development

Project Control and Monitoring

33. What are the steps involved in monitoring and controlling?

The steps are

Architecture Design

User Interface Development

API Development

Project Control and Monitoring

34. List and explain the parts of EVM memory

It is classified into 3 types.

Storage

Data is permanently saved on the Blockchain network and it is very expensive

Memory: Memory serves as a temporary, modifiable form of storage. It is accessible solely during the period of contract execution. Upon completion of the execution phase, the data stored within it is irrevocably lost.

Stack: A stack is a temporary and unchangeable storage area.

In this case, the data is no longer available once the process finishes.

35. What happens if the execution of a smart contract costs more than the specified gas?

The amount of gas used is determined by the storage capacity and the set of instructions (codes) employed in a smart contract. The transaction fee is calculated in Ether, which is represented as:

Ether = Tx Fees = Gas Limit * Gas Price

36. What is the fork? What are some of the types of forking?

In layman's terms, the process of revising a cryptocurrency protocol or code is referred to as forking. This term denotes the division of a Blockchain into two separate branches. Such a division occurs when the network participants are unable to reach a consensus regarding the consensus algorithm and the new rules for transaction validation. Three types are

Hard forks

Soft forks

Accidental forks

37. What differentiates between Proof of Work vs Proof of Stake

Proof of work

In the context of Blockchain, Proof of Work (Pow) refers to the process of solving a complex mathematical puzzle known as mining. This process is contingent upon the miner's ability to perform substantial computational work. Miners dedicate considerable computing resources, including hardware, to decipher the cryptographic puzzle. Consequently, the likelihood of successfully mining a block is directly proportional to the amount of computational effort invested.

Proof of stake

Proof of Stake (PoS) serves as an alternative to Proof of Work (Pow) in which the goal of the Blockchain is to achieve distributed consensus. The likelihood of validating a block is directly proportional to the number of tokens you own. The more tokens you possess, the greater your chances of validating a block. It was developed as a solution to reduce the consumption of costly resources expended in mining.

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38. Describe 51% attack

In the context of Blockchain technology, a 51% attack denotes a security vulnerability characterized by the control exerted by a single individual or a collective of individuals over a significant portion of the mining capacity, specifically the hash rate. This concentration of power enables the perpetrators to obstruct the confirmation of new transactions and facilitates the execution of double-spending schemes involving the cryptocurrency in question. Notably, smaller cryptocurrencies are particularly susceptible to such attacks.

39. What are function modifiers in Solidity? Mention the most widely used modifiers.

In Solidity, function modifiers are utilized to effortlessly alter the behaviors of your smart contract functions. Put simply, they enable the addition of new features or impose restrictions on the functionality of smart contracts. The most commonly employed function modifiers in Solidity include:

View functions, also known as read-only functions, are those that do not alter the state of a smart contract. They are designed to be accessed and read, but not modified. For a comprehensive understanding, we recommend referring to our video, which provides an illustrative example of a View function.

Pure functions are those that neither read from nor write to the state of a smart contract. Instead, they return the same result as determined by their input values.

40. Describe Cryptocurrency Mining and the process involved in Bitcoin mining.

41. What are the benefits of Etherates?

Ethereum functions as a distributed system of blockchain technology, facilitating the creation of a network where peer-to-peer interactions confirm and carry out the execution of application code known as smart contracts. These smart contracts enable users to engage in transactions without the need for a central governing body.

42. Describe Cryptocurrency Mining and the process involved in Bitcoin mining.

Cryptocurrency mining involves verifying and adding transactions to the public ledger, known as the blockchain, through a computational process. Miners utilize high-powered computers to solve intricate mathematical problems, resulting in the addition of a new block to the blockchain and the miner receiving a specific number of Bitcoins as a reward.

43. Elaborate on the concept of Hashing within the context of Blockchain.

The concept of hashing in Blockchain involves transforming input data into a fixed-size string of characters using a cryptographic algorithm, ensuring data integrity by making any alterations easily detectable through a vastly different hash output.

44. Enumerate the advantages associated with Blockchain Technology.

Blockchain Technology offers improved security through its cryptographic nature, greater transparency thanks to its open-source attribute, lower transaction costs by eliminating intermediaries, and enhanced traceability of transactions.

45. What are the different types of Blockchain?

Different kinds of Blockchains exist, including Public Blockchains, which are open to everyone; Private Blockchains, which are only accessible to invited individuals; Consortium Blockchains, which are managed by a group of organizations; and Hybrid Blockchains, which blend features of both public and private chains.

46. What is Blockchain explorer?

A Blockchain Explorer serves as a tool for users to investigate specific blocks, transactions, and addresses within a blockchain network, offering valuable information on transaction details and account balances.

47. What is a Smart contract and how does it operate?

Smart Contracts are contracts that automatically execute based on predefined conditions written in code, removing the necessity for intermediaries to enforce the terms and conditions.

48. What is Ethereum

Ethereum (ETH) operates as a decentralized, open-source blockchain network that supports smart contracts. It serves as a foundation for developers to create and release decentralized applications - Dapps

Ethereum, Ripple, EOS, Hyperledger, and Corda.

49. What is Ledger, different between traditional and distributed one

A ledger is a record-keeping book that maintains a list of all transactions. The difference between a distributed ledger and a traditional ledger is that while the latter is centralized and managed by a single entity, the former is decentralized, and maintained across numerous nodes or computers.

50. Compare Blockchain with a relational database.

When comparing Blockchain with a relational database, Blockchain is decentralized and immutable, ensuring data integrity and security. In contrast, a relational database is centralized, structured, and can be easily modified by those with access.

51. Explain how a block is recognized in the Blockchain approach.

A block is recognized by its unique digital signature in the Blockchain approach, known as a hash, which distinguishes it from all other blocks in the chain.

52. Is possible to modify the ledger once it is written edger?

Once data is written in a block on the blockchain, it becomes immutable. This means it cannot be altered without changing the information in all subsequent blocks, making unauthorized modifications easily detectable.

53. What are the recommended network specifications

Network-specific conditions include understanding the required infrastructure for the adoption of Blockchain technology within an organization, ensuring network security, and having consensus mechanisms in place.

54. Explain the term "blocks" in Blockchain technology

Blockchain technology utilizes "blocks" to store transaction records in sets of digital information, which are subsequently linked together in a sequential manner

55. What does 51 % attack mean?

A 51% Attack occurs when a single miner or mining pool possesses more than half of the computational power in a network, giving them the ability to double-spend coins or disrupt transactions.

56. What are the types of records that can be stored in Blockchain and is there r there are any limitations.?

Blockchain can securely store various types of data, including financial transactions, ownership of assets, and movements within the supply chain. Before recording any information, it is essential to verify its accuracy because of the unchangeable nature of blockchain technology.

57. Is possible to remove blocks from Blockchain?

Once a block has been added to the blockchain, it becomes extremely challenging to remove or modify due to the presence of its own hash, the hash of the previous block, and distribution across multiple nodes in the network. The hash acts as a unique digital fingerprint that ensures the security and integrity of each block. Any attempt to alter subsequent blocks would demand an immense amount of computational power and would be promptly identified by the network.

58. Can a ledger be corrupted?

The blockchain is recognized as an unalterable record due to its utilization of decentralized consensus mechanisms for transaction validation, rendering any tampering with recorded data nearly impossible to go undetected. Through cryptographic principles and network consensus, data stored on the blockchain is guaranteed to remain unaltered and verifiable.

59. In which order blocks are linked in the blockchain.

The blocks are connected sequentially, with each block containing the hash of the preceding block, forming a chain from the first block to the latest one. This consecutive hashing guarantees the security of the entire history of the blockchain.

60. What are the prerequisites or requirements for implementing Blockchain technology?

Implementing blockchain technology requires a consensus mechanism for transaction validation, a network of computers as nodes, cryptographic algorithms for transaction security, and a protocol for block creation and transaction validation. These components collaborate to establish the essential infrastructure for blockchain to function securely and efficiently.

61. Define a blockchain identifier

Block identifiers serve to differentiate blocks within a blockchain by combining a block header hash and block height. The hash, generated by a hash function, uniquely represents the block's content, while the height indicates its position in the blockchain. This system guarantees each block is distinctly identified due to the near impossibility of two blocks sharing the same hash.

62. What is the common type of ledger?

Various types of ledgers available in blockchain are public, private, and consortium ledgers. Public ledgers are open to everyone, ensuring transparency in transactions. Private ledgers limit access to a particular group of users, commonly within an organization. Consortium ledgers are a combination, enabling multiple organizations to collaborate and share access to the ledger.

64. What is the common type of ledger?

63. Different types of ledgers available in blockchain are public, private, and consortium ledgers. Public ledgers are open to everyone, ensuring transparency in transactions. Private ledgers limit access to a particular group of users, commonly within an organization. Consortium ledgers are a combination, enabling multiple organizations to collaborate and share access to the ledger.

65. What is differentiate between a blockchain ledger and an ordinary ledger

The blockchain ledger stands out from a regular ledger by being decentralized and spread out across a computer network, ensuring no single entity has control over it. Each participant in the network possesses a complete copy of the ledger, unlike a centralized ordinary ledger. Additionally, the blockchain ledger utilizes cryptography for transaction security and mandates consensus among network participants, a feature absent in a traditional ledger.

66. What is the correlation between the Concept of double spending and blockchain

The term "double spending" pertains to the possibility of a digital currency being used for two separate transactions. To prevent double spending, blockchain systems employ consensus mechanisms to validate each transaction and guarantee that each unit of currency is only used once. Once a transaction is confirmed, it is recorded in a block and added to the chain, making it unchangeable and safeguarding against double-spending.

67. What is the significance of a blind signature and its utility?

A blind signature involves disguising the content of a message before signing, making it a type of digital signature. In the context of blockchain, it is valuable for maintaining privacy among participants by enabling transactions to be signed without disclosing their details to the signer. This feature is particularly beneficial for voting systems and digital cash schemes integrated into blockchain platforms.

68. Define an off-chain transaction

An off-chain transaction is a transaction that occurs outside the blockchain network but is later reconciled with the blockchain ledger. It allows for increased privacy and reduced transaction fees and times, as it avoids the computational cost of recording every transaction on the blockchain. It requires a trusted third party to mediate these transactions, which introduces some level of counterparty risk.

69. What are the predominant threats that could hit transaction records?

Safeguarding transaction records involves protecting against various threats such as hacking, phishing, and cyber-attacks targeting digital assets and data integrity. Moreover, the danger of 51% attacks, in which an entity seizes control of the majority of a network's hashing power, poses a substantial risk to blockchain integrity

70. List a few of to used consensus algorithms

Proof-of-Work (Pow), Proof-of-Stake (PoS), Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS), and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT). These algorithms are used to agree on the validity of transactions and the creation of new blocks in the blockchain.

71. Explain the differences between Proof of stake – PoS and Proof-of work Pow

Proof-Of-Stake (PoS) and Proof-Of-Work (Pow) represent distinct blockchain consensus mechanisms. Pow involves miners solving intricate mathematical problems to verify transactions and generate new blocks, utilizing substantial computational power and energy. On the other hand, PoS selects validators according to the number of coins they possess and are ready to "stake" as collateral, resulting in a more energy-efficient process compare

72. What a public key is?

A public key is a type of cryptographic key that is made available to the public and is utilized for encrypting data or authenticating a digital signature. It acts as a destination for receiving cryptocurrency from others and is crucial for confirming the authenticity of transactions signed by the corresponding private key.

73. What is a private key?

The private key is a confidential cryptographic key held by the owner, utilized for decrypting data encrypted with the matching public key or generating a digital signature. It grants access to cryptocurrencies and is crucial for validating transactions on the network.

74. What are the main disadvantages?

Blockchain technology is hindered by scalability problems, high energy consumption with certain consensus algorithms such as Proof-of-Work, and the risk of security vulnerabilities if not implemented correctly. Additionally, regulatory uncertainties and a lack of widespread understanding and adoption can impede its practical application.

75. What are Merkle Trees in blockchain?

Blockchain technology has drawbacks such as scalability issues, high energy consumption for certain consensus algorithms like Proof-of-Work, and the potential for security vulnerabilities if not properly implemented. Additionally, regulatory uncertainties and the lack of widespread understanding and adoption can hinder its practical application.

76. What are the Merkel trees’ in Blockchain

Merkle Trees within blockchain serves to bolster the verification of data integrity. These trees arrange transactions into a hierarchical structure, with each leaf containing a hash of an individual transaction, and the root containing a single hash that summarizes all transactions.

77. What are steps recommended to address issues about scalability

Enhancing blockchain scalability can be achieved by implementing layer-two solutions such as Lightning Network, increasing block sizes, and utilizing off-chain transactions. These methods enable quicker transaction processing and handling larger volumes without sacrificing security or decentralization.

78. Explain permissioned blockchains and their use cases.

Restricted access is enforced on permissioned blockchains, limiting network entry to specific users. These blockchains are utilized in scenarios such as supply chain oversight, identity authentication, and internal auditing, necessitating control over users' activities and ensuring a level of confidentiality is upheld, all while leveraging the unchangeable nature of blockchain technology.

79. What is a hard fork?

A hard fork in the blockchain is a change to the network protocol that is not backward compatible. An example is the split of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash in 2017, where disagreements on block size led to the creation of a new one.

80. Define Tokenization

The process of tokenization within blockchain technology entails transforming physical assets into digital tokens. This can be applied to various scenarios, such as digitizing real estate properties or generating virtual assets for gaming purposes, facilitating more efficient, quicker, and safer transactions across the blockchain network.

81. What is the role of algorithms?

Consensus mechanisms are essential in blockchain technology as they guarantee unanimous agreement among all users regarding transaction validity, thus preventing fraudulent activities like double-spending. These algorithms maintain the integrity of the blockchain network without relying on a central governing body.

82. How does shrading influence scalability

Shrading is a process that partitions a blockchain into smaller pieces, or shards, each capable of processing transactions independently. shrading improves scalability by allowing the blockchain to process many transactions in parallel.

83. What are oracles in smart contracts and why are they important

Smart contracts utilize oracles as intermediaries connecting blockchains with external data sources, essential for executing contracts dependent on real-world information by supplying the required data for contract completion.

84. What is DeFi and its significance?/

DeFi, or decentralized finance, represents financial services constructed on blockchain technology without central intermediaries. DeFi enables peer-to-peer lending, borrowing, and trading, significantly expanding the availability of financial services.

85. What is DeFi and its significance

86. How privacy concerns are addressed?

Blockchain addresses privacy concerns by utilizing methods such as zero-knowledge proofs and private transactions. These mechanisms enable the verification of transactions without disclosing sensitive information to the entire network, thus ensuring privacy and security for users.

87. What are NFTs, and where are they used?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are distinct digital tokens that signify ownership or verification of authenticity. They find application in digital art, collectibles, and intellectual property, where unique identification and proof of ownership are crucial.

88. What are side chains?

Sidechains within the blockchain ecosystem are independent blockchains linked to a main blockchain, facilitating the exchange of assets between the main chain and the sidechain. This integration enhances the capabilities of the network and improves its scalability

89. What's cross-chain interoperability in blockchain?

Blockchain cross-chain interoperability refers to the capacity of various blockchains to communicate and engage with one another, allowing for the transfer of information and assets across different blockchain networks. This fosters a more interconnected and efficient blockchain ecosystem.

90. Explain blockchain consensus algorithms and compare PoW, PoS, and DPoS.

Consensus algorithms on blockchains guarantee that all network users concur on the legitimacy of transactions. Proof of labor (PoW) is an energy-intensive method that needs computational labor to validate transactions and generate new blocks. Proof of Stake (PoS) minimizes energy usage by choosing validators based on the amount of the linked coin they own. This is streamlined by Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), which increases transaction speeds and efficiency by letting coin holders vote on a few delegate nodes to protect the network.

91. Explain blockchain consensus algorithms and compare PoW, PoS, and DPoS.

92. Explain interoperability

Interoperability between blockchain systems refers to the capacity to exchange data between them. Blockchains that would otherwise be isolated from one another may connect with one another thanks to interoperability tools like Polkadot and Cosmos, which facilitate the exchange of information and value between various networks.

93. Explain layer 2 scaling and its benefits

Protocols that run on top of a blockchain (Layer 1) to increase scalability and efficiency are known as Layer 2 scaling solutions. Lower costs and quicker transaction times are two advantages. Examples of off-chain transaction handling systems are Ethereum's Plasma and Bitcoin's Lightning Network

94. What is zero-knowledge proofs and their blockchain applications.?

Zero-knowledge proofs allow one party to demonstrate to another that a claim is true without disclosing any further information beyond the claim's veracity. They are employed in blockchain to improve security and privacy by enabling transaction verification without revealing the contents of the transaction.

95. What are the decentralization challenges?

Blockchain networks have decentralization concerns related to consensus-building, scalability, and security. Developing off-chain scaling techniques to manage rising transaction volumes, implementing new consensus methods, and streamlining network protocols are all part of the answers.

96. What are the decentralized identity (DID) solutions and their impact?

Decentralized identity systems provide consumers with an option to manage their login credentials and personal data. DID systems provide people control over their identities, lowering dependency on centralized authority and lowering the possibility of identity theft, all of which have a good impact on privacy and security?

97. What is a cross-chain swap?

With cross-chain atomic swaps, cryptocurrency may be swapped across various blockchains without the use of middlemen. To secure a trustless exchange procedure, cross-chain atomic swaps rely on smart contracts to make sure the transaction either completes or is canceled.

98. Explain the difference between Layer 1 and Layer 2 scaling solutions?

Layer 1 scaling options, such as modifications to the protocol or consensus process, enhance a blockchain's fundamental components. To increase performance without changing the core blockchain architecture, layer 2 solutions are constructed on top of the current blockchain.

99. List some of the challenges in data storage and retrieval?

Blockchain data storage and retrieval are hampered by its limited capacity, effectiveness, and speed. Sidechains, off-chain storage, and other scalability enhancements that make it possible to manage bigger volumes of data more efficiently are examples of solutions.

100. What is the concept of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and governance challenges?

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) are a notion where automated organizational administration is made possible by governance encoded in smart contracts. Ensuring fair voting procedures and decision-making that serves the interests of all stakeholders are among the governance difficulties.

101. What is the concept of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and governance challenges?

102. What is the concept of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and governance challenges?

103. How reliable are Explain blockchain oracles?

Third-party services known as blockchain oracles provide smart contracts access to outside data. As long as the data source is dependable and the oracle has a strong mechanism in place to guarantee the integrity of the data it provides, blockchain oracles are considered reliable.

104. What are privacy-focused blockchain technologies?

Blockchain privacy solutions such as Zcash and Monero provide further anonymity by hiding transaction information. Increased user privacy, transaction amounts, and party identities are protected, among other advantages.

105. Explain energy efficiency, sustainability

Particularly with PoW systems, blockchain's sustainability and energy efficiency are major challenges. Using renewable energy sources, switching to less energy-intensive consensus techniques like proof-of-work (PoS), and creating more effective blockchain protocols are among the solutions.

106. What are the token standards?

Token standards provide a standardized set of guidelines that tokens on a blockchain must abide by. Examples of these standards include ERC-20 for fungible tokens and ERC-721 for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). They have a variety of unique applications, such as virtual products, digital currencies, and asset representations.

107. Managing user experience complexity brought on by blockchain technology's technicality is one of the UX/UI design problems in blockchain DApps. Operating on a blockchain network, DApps (decentralized apps) have special design challenges including guaranteeing transaction transparency, handling longer load times because of block confirmation procedures, and incorporating user control over private keys without sacrificing usability

108. Blockchain improves security, efficiency, and traceability in supply chain management. Applications in the real world include immutable paperwork for quicker customs clearance, provenance tracking, which offers a transparent picture of product lifecycles, and counterfeit avoidance through secure records.

109. Enlist regulatory, and legal challenges

The absence of unified standards and changing laws are the main legal and regulatory issues facing blockchain. Blockchain interacts with rules on currency control, international transactions, and data protection, necessitating ongoing company adaption to adhere to various legal frameworks throughout the globe.

110. What does the term cross-border remittances mean?

Blockchain-based cross-border remittances make international money transactions quicker, less expensive, and more transparent. Blockchain technology offers a safe, unchangeable record of cross-border money transfers and does away with the need for middlemen, cutting transaction costs and times.

111. What is a blinding signature, explain its importance?

A digital signature known as a "blind signature" is one in which a message's contents are concealed before signing. Blind signatures are important because they improve transaction privacy by enabling anonymity while guaranteeing the transaction is safe and authentic

112. What is secret shrading and its role in enhancing security?

By dividing a secret, such as a private key, into pieces that are distributed among participants and needing a subset's consensus to reconstruct the entire secret, secret sharing in blockchain technology improves security. Since no one person possesses the whole key, this strategy guards against the loss or theft of a single key.

113. What is secret shrading and its role in enhancing security?

114 . What is Executive Accounting and its compatibility with Blockchain.?

Because blockchain is visible and unchangeable, it can simplify the painstaking documenting of financial transactions, which is known as executive accounting. The benefits of integrating blockchain technology with executive accounting include real-time ledger updates and a lower chance of fraud or human mistakes.

115. What is secret shrading and its role in enhancing security?

116. What is Executive Accounting and its compatibility with Blockchain.?

117.How to differentiate Centralized Network, Decentralized Network, and Distributed Ledger

A Distributed Ledger is a database that is voluntarily shared and synchronized across several sites, whereas a Centralised Network depends on a single point of control. A Decentralised Network distributes control among peers. Every member of the network has access to the whole database and its transaction history in a distributed ledger

118. Describe the essentials of the Blockchain ecosystem?

The essential elements of the Blockchain Ecosystem include the ledger, which records transactions; the network of nodes, which maintains and validates the ledger; cryptographic algorithms, which secure transactions; and consensus mechanisms, which ensure agreement on ledger states.

119. Describe the essentials of the Blockchain ecosystem?

120. What is the significance? of hashtag

In the context of Blockchain, hashing is the process of transforming input data into an original, unique, fixed-length alphanumeric string. Blockchain technology relies heavily on hashing to protect data integrity and make it possible to link blocks together.

121. What are prominent cryptocurrencies that are available?

Hashing, as used in the context of Blockchain, is the process of converting input data into a unique, original string of alphanumeric characters with a defined length. Hashing plays a major role in blockchain technology by safeguarding data integrity and enabling block linking.

130. Explain the durability and robustness

The term "Blockchain Durability and Robustness" describes the technology's ability to hold up over time without deteriorating. Robustness pertains to the resilience of blockchain against cyberattacks and technological malfunctions, whereas durability guarantees the long-term documentation of data blocks.

131. List a few prominent consensus algorithms

A few well-known consensus algorithms include Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT), Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), Proof of Work (PoW), and Proof of Stake (PoS). These algorithms are techniques for getting dispersed processes or systems to agree on a common data value.

132. What is the difference between proof of work and proof of stake?

133. What is a consensus algorithm?

A mechanism employed in a blockchain network to reach consensus across dispersed processes or systems on a single data value is referred to as a consensus algorithm. Blockchain technology relies on consensus algorithms to keep all nodes synchronized and in agreement with the ledger's current state. One such is Proof of Work (PoW), which necessitates intricate computations from nodes to verify transactions and generate new blocks.

133. How is Bitcoin used in a Blockchain?

Blockchain is a decentralized ledger used by Bitcoin that keeps track of every transaction made via a network of computers. The integrity and chronological sequence of transactions are guaranteed by the way each block in the Bitcoin blockchain is connected to the one before it via a cryptographic hash.

134. What is the security mechanism?

Cryptography is used in Blockchain to ensure a block's security. Every block has a distinct hash, and any changes made to the block's contents would cause the hash to change and indicate an attempted breach. A chain that protects the whole network is created when the hash of one block is included in the next.

135. Describe the process of encoding

The practice of encrypting a message or piece of information so that only persons with the proper authorization may access it is known as encryption in the blockchain. Since encryption makes sure that data is only accessible to those who have the right decryption keys, it is essential to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of transactions on the blockchain.

136. What are the limitations of Blockchain?

Yes, Blockchain technology's drawbacks include scalability problems, high energy requirements for some consensus techniques, such as Proof of Work, and a lack of regulation that may encourage its usage for illegal purposes. The technological obstacles to integrating blockchain with current systems are substantial.

138. Explain in short, cryptocurrency with examples

Cryptocurrency is a kind of virtual or digital money that is secured by encryption. Unlike centralized digital currencies, it employs decentralized control and is run independently of a central bank. Cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin are examples.

140. What is a fork and what are its types?

The term "fork" in blockchain jargon describes a break between two distinct chains or a divergence in the protocol. There are two types of forks: soft forks, which are modifications that are compatible with the original chain and do not require it to be continued, and hard forks, which do

141. What is the purpose of modification in Solidity?

Function modifiers in Solidity are used to alter a function's behavior within a contract. They can do an automated condition check before the function is executed. Function modifiers include "view," which indicates that the function does not change the state of the contract, "private," which limits access to the contract itself, and "public," which makes functions available to everybody.

142. What is transparency and in-corruptibility?

In the context of blockchain technology, transparency, and incorruptibility relate to the ledger's open visibility, which records every transaction, and its resistance to unauthorized data tampering. Data on the blockchain is almost hard to manipulate since once it is recorded there, it cannot be removed without affecting all following blocks and obtaining network consensus

#blockchain #wallet #smart contract #crytoto mining #solifify #Ethereum hashing. ledgers #trees #tokenization ux/UIhastag #consensus algorithms

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jbfly46 · 2 years ago

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Me and like 3 other people took control of the internet by understanding how algorithms work and being able to read the consensus of a geographical region. We had a lot of help of course. The instructions are laid out online parsed in code.

#internet #algorithms #consensus

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squishymamasboy · 9 months ago

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Every now and then I'm being reminded that tumblr doesn't 100 % belong to "demonic communists" and it baffles me every time

#The bubble is bubbling #The algorithm is working overtime to keep me safe sane consensual #I wish twt would do that too

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thedigitalcynic · 2 months ago

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Welcome to "The War You Can't See"

Is Traditional War Dead — or Just Rebranded?

Are we past the era of bombs, boots, and drone strikes? Maybe. But not because we’ve become more peaceful — just more efficient.

Why nuke a city when you can collapse its power grid and watch the lights, water, hospitals, commerce — and society — all flicker offline? Remember when a rogue Windows update brought a third of the world’s industrial systems to a standstill? That wasn’t warfare. That was a preview.

Modern conflict isn’t fought on battlefields. It’s fought in code, supply chains, infrastructure, and perception.

And what about information?

Weaponised misinformation is no longer a Cold War tactic — it’s business-as-usual. Traditional media is saturated with bias, funded by the highest bidder, dressed in headlines that are actually ads. In Australia, entire news segments blur the line between reporting and native advertising. Journalism has become a product — and we’re the ones being sold.

Then there’s the algorithm: our supposed gateway to truth. But whose truth? Curated by whom? Funded by what? When your feed is built by unseen commercial interests, your worldview becomes a subscription model.

Now enter AI — systems trained on the data of our broken information ecosystem.

Can we really expect neutrality from machines built on human bias? Even the purest dataset is tainted by its source — culture, ideology, power.

Should we be able to audit what trains AI? Yes. Will we? That depends on whether transparency serves those in control.

Because we’re not in the Information Age anymore — that’s old tech. We’ve entered the AI Age — a time when digital systems no longer just store knowledge, but shape it, interpret it, and replace our need to think critically at all.

So what comes next?

Does AI fade like 3D TVs and holograms — hyped, then shelved? Or does it become our bridge to something post-terrestrial — guiding a civilisation too damaged to stay on Earth, but too stubborn to end here?

The War You Can’t See

We didn’t end war. We just changed the weapons.

There was a time when war meant bombs and boots. Now? It’s code, chaos, and collapse — executed from behind keyboards, masked as policy or progress.

Modern conflict isn’t about shock and awe. It’s about confusion and collapse.

The Quiet Wars of the 21st Century

Why drop a bomb when you can:

Crash a national power grid remotely

Infect the population with misinformation until truth becomes meaningless

Manipulate markets, supply chains, food systems

Split a society until it implodes on itself

This is asymmetric warfare — and it’s not coming. It’s here.

One rogue Windows update can cripple logistics. One viral deepfake can swing elections. Now imagine that… weaponised, at scale, and on purpose.

No uniforms. No rules of engagement. Just quiet devastation.

Misinformation Is the New Munition

In an attention economy, truth is no longer sacred. It’s a subscription.

What used to be journalism is now:

Corporate content disguised as objectivity

Algorithms that reward outrage, not accuracy

Engagement loops that harden echo chambers

AI doesn’t fix this. It just speeds it up.

Models are trained on human data. Human data is biased. So the system reflects the power structures that shaped it: colonial, capitalist, western, dominant.

Truth becomes a product. And you're the consumer.

The War of Influence

This is the battlefield now:

Infrastructure attacks

Socioeconomic sabotage

Data manipulation

Manufactured division

The soldier is a coder. The battleground is your belief system. The casualty? Consensus reality.

This is 21st-century warfare. You won’t hear the bullets. But you’ll feel the collapse.

Final Thought: We’re All Combatants Now

The age of visible enemies and declared wars is over. What we face now is persistent, ambient conflict — war without warning, borders, or uniforms. The lines between citizen and soldier, truth and tactic, reality and narrative have blurred.

And the most dangerous part? Most people don’t even realise they’re under attack.

This isn’t peace. It’s just war with better PR.

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princeofcloudcity · 2 months ago

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CALLING ALL FANDOM LOVERS! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!

✨🚨 KOSA has been reintroduced to the House! 🚨✨

The following text is from StopKosa.com:

KOSA uses two methods to “protect” kids, and both of them are awful.

First, KOSA would allow the government to pressure social media platforms to erase content that could be deemed “inappropriate” for minors. The problem is: there is no consensus on what is inappropriate for minors. All across the country we are seeing how lawmakers are attacking young people’s access to gender affirming healthcare, sex education, birth control, and abortion. Online communities and resources that queer and trans youth depend on as lifelines should not be subject to the whims of the most rightwing extremist powers and we shouldn’t give them another tool to harm marginalized communities.

Second, KOSA would ramp up the online surveillance of all internet users by expanding the use of age verification and parental monitoring tools. Not only are these tools needlessly invasive, they’re a massive safety risk for young people who could be trying to escape domestic violence and abuse.

As LGBTQ and reproductive rights groups have said for months, the fundamental problem with KOSA is that its “duty of care” covers content specific aspects of content recommendation systems, and the new changes fail to address that. In fact, personalized recommendation systems are explicitly listed under the definition of a design feature covered by the duty of care in the new version. This means that a future Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could still use KOSA to pressure platforms into automated filtering of important, but controversial topics like LGBTQ issues and abortion, by claiming that algorithmically recommending such content “causes” mental health outcomes that are covered by the duty of care like anxiety and depression. Bans on inclusive books, abortion, and gender affirming healthcare have been passed on exactly that kind of rhetoric in many states recently. And we know that already existing content filtering systems impact content from marginalized creators exponentially more, resulting in discrimination and censorship.

Dozens of LGBTQ+ and civil rights groups agree that KOSA is dangerous and updates to the bill haven’t addressed the core concerns advocates have about its impact on already often censored content and resources.

If you believe in a free and open internet, send a message to your lawmakers right now and tell them to reject KOSA!

#stop kosa #kosa #anti censorship #fandom #anime

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the-most-humble-blog · 3 months ago

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🧬👻 “You Think You’re You? That’s Adorable.”

You’re not even fully human. You’re a haunted meat golem with Wi-Fi and anxiety.

ACT I — The Lie You’re Living

Ah, yes. You wake up. Brush your teeth. Sip your coffee. Scroll your phone. You feel like a real person with thoughts, memories, preferences.

Cute.

Because here’s the punchline, sweet summer child:

You’re not even 100% human.

ACT II — What You Really Are

You’re a walking, talking orgy of multiple species. Part human. Part bacteria. Part fungus. Part virus. Part ancient ape. And 100% confused spaghetti code pretending to have a soul.

The human body? A biological group project between evolution, gut microbes, parasitic DNA hitchhikers, and ancient mitochondria that used to be their own species.

Your body contains:

More non-human cells than human ones.

Bacteria that outnumber your own cells 10 to 1.

DNA from viruses, ancient fungi, and unclassifiable “dark genome” segments that we literally do not understand.

You are not a person. You’re a biofilm with opinions.

ACT III — You’re a Colony. Not an Individual.

Think about this:

Your thoughts can be influenced by the bacteria in your gut.

Your moods are affected by your microbiome.

Your decisions can shift depending on what fungus you inhaled that day.

Your attraction to people? Might be chemical signals from your skin flora.

You ever get a “gut feeling”?

That might literally be your intestinal bacteria whispering strategy into your brain.

And you thought you were “making a choice.”

ACT IV — Are You Even There?

Let’s go deeper:

You don’t control your heartbeat. You don’t control your dreams. You don’t control what you forget, or when you cry, or what triggers your trauma. You don’t control the timing of your thoughts.

So the question is:

Who the f*ck is actually driving this meat suit?

Because neuroscience doesn’t know. Religion argues. Philosophy hyperventilates. And physics just stares blankly into the void.

ACT V — You Might Be a Ghost. Or Just a Glitch.

You’re either:

A consciousness that’s somehow haunting a nervous system

A chemical puppet with enough complexity to simulate free will

A hallucination of self generated by accidental electro-meat fireworks

Or, worst of all:

A network of sub-selves constantly arguing while pretending they’re one “I.”

Shocking Truth?

Science has no consensus on what consciousness actually is.

Nobody knows if it’s:

An emergent property

A soul

A quantum algorithm

A shared delusion

Or a horrifying accident we’ve decided to romanticize

ACT VI — Logic Tests That Will Wreck You

Ready to lose sleep? Try these reality-breaking diagnostics:

🧠 Logic Trap 1: “When Are You?”

Your brain processes input with a delay. What you’re experiencing right now actually happened a few milliseconds ago. So… if you’re always behind the present… Where is “now”? And who’s watching it?

🧠 Logic Trap 2: “The Ship of Self”

Every 7 years, your cells have completely regenerated. You are literally not made of the same matter you were as a child. If your body changed… and your thoughts changed… What stayed the same? Who’s left?

🧠 Logic Trap 3: “The False First Person”

What if every time you go to sleep, the “you” that wakes up is a copy? You remember yesterday… but so does the copy. Are you just a rebooted save file that thinks it’s original?

🧠 Logic Trap 4: “The Brain In The Room”

The only proof you have that anyone else exists is sensory input. You could be a brain in a jar, hallucinating all this. Can you prove you’re not?

FINAL VERDICT — You’re Not “You.” You’re Just a Temporary Pattern.

A mind is not a soul. It’s a self-updating hallucination stabilized by hormones, trauma, diet, genetics, and luck.

And when you die?

That pattern ends. And everything you called “you” dissolves into meat, memory, and microbial decay.

The ghost leaves. The flesh rots. The world keeps spinning. No refunds. No backups. No explanations.

🔁 Reblog if you’ve ever felt like something else is steering. 👁 Comment if you’ve questioned your reality since age 9. 🧬 Follow if you’re ready to peel back your face and find the universe staring back.

⚖️ LEGAL DISCLAIMER:

This post is intended as philosophical commentary, not psychiatric advice. If you’re spiraling, eat something, touch grass, and don’t take your thoughts too literally. If you feel like nothing is real… congrats. You’re officially more qualified than most philosophers.

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moonlightsapphic · 20 days ago

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— sapphic allyship handbook —

✨ Sapphics! 🗣️

Contemporary radfem (TERF/TIRF) rhetoric may permeate your 🫵 algorithm! Stop 🛑 and think 🤔 when you see 👀 content such as:

⭐️ Lesbianism is the most politically correct sexuality to combat patriarchy due to its exclusion of men. Therefore, other queer women should not “roll back their queerness” by dating men during the current climate. Who you date should not be made political, and to demand this from an individual for their participation in feminism is authoritarian conversion rhetoric. Sexual orientation (and who you love) is not a choice; it is a morally neutral natural human identity. A queer woman is not less or more queer due to her current partner, and a straight or bi woman in a relationship with a man is not automatically a lesser feminist. “Political lesbianism” during second-wave feminism ultimately invalidated lesbianism as an authentic romantic and sexual orientation, and caused devastating sapphic culture erasure.

⭐️ Lesbians and trans women are minoritised even within the LGBTQ+ community and can therefore never cause tangible harm to bisexual women and trans men respectively. This is because lesbians and trans women do not hold any power over bisexual women and trans men under cisheterosexism. This generalisation does not account for intersectional systems of oppression across race, nationality, class, disability, etc. Privilege (or lack thereof) is not quantitative and depends on context. Additionally, lateral phobias across different minoritised groups can cause harm. A lesbian can be biphobic, or participate in monosexism (a historically enduring system that causes alarmingly high levels of documented life-threatening harm to bisexuals), despite not systematically oppressing bisexuals under cisheterosexism. A trans woman can be transandrophobic/transmisandrist towards a trans man, despite not holding systematic power over trans men. Obviously, bisexuals can exhibit lesbophobia and transmascs can exhibit transmisogyny as well.

⭐️ Queer women who switch away from the lesbian label, and/or choose to date men rather than being loyal to WLW encourage lesbophobia by implying to men that lesbians can be corrected by “tradwife” culture. When formerly lesbian-identified women say they feel “healed” by discovery of their fluid sexuality or by a specific partner who happens to be a man, it actively harms lesbian visibility, validity, and safety. Victim-blaming a bi+ woman for the behaviour of bigots is known as bimisogyny. It buys into the radfem (and patriarchal) belief that men are innately subhuman monsters that only exercise restraint when when women demonstrate puritanical abstinence, rather than acknowledging men are fellow flawed humans taught to be violent under patriarchy. A woman who consensually engages in sexual and romantic relations with men is not responsible for sexual assault culture from men. That would be slut-shaming. Queer folks of any gender/sexuality are allowed to proudly find comfort in their identities and partners, as this is the goal of LGBTQ+ movement.

⭐️ Real lesbians (and who lesbians are really attracted to) are appropriately feminine, must identify as women, use she/her pronouns, and never want to be known as “boyfriends” or “husbands”; otherwise you’re just bisexual. Non-men who present masculine, don’t identify as women, or are attracted to non-feminine non-men genders “invade” lesbian spaces. This is lebophobia, butchphobia, and transandrophia. Butches, mascs, gender non-conforming women, genderqueer folks, and transmascs (including some trans men) identifying as lesbians are not only perfectly valid but also a well-documented historically important part of lesbian community.

⭐️ It is by default unfeminist for a woman to cater to the male gaze and male pleasure, because it will thwart feminism. Even fem(me) lesbians who pass as straight center the “male gaze”. This is once again misogynistic slut-shaming and victim-blaming, and leads to villification of sex work. The patriarchy depends on maintaining authority over women’s sexuality; attempting to oppose that using further suppression is just compliance to and repackaging of patriarchal purity culture. The feminist goal is women’s sexual liberation. Femininity and feminine sexuality are a complex performance done for the self, for other women (the female gaze), and also to contrast/complement/seek admiration of masculine partner (who may also be a non-man). It can be conforming or non-conforming to conventionally patriarchal standards. All of these effects are highly subjective and context-dependent. To imply fem(me) lesbians center men due to their femininity is lesbophobic and ignorant of lesbian culture. A more coherent feminist goal would be to advocate for more women to have agency over their own sexuality under the patriarchy, as actual sex workers are often the most underprivileged women.

⭐️ Formerly lesbian-identified trans men and bi women purposefully chose new identities that conform to and offer more privilege under the patriarchy. Because of their greed and/or brainwashing, exclusive lesbian community is disappearing. Bi women and trans men are hardly “privileged” in the cisheteropatriarchy, and are subject to similar phobias as lesbians since all oppression is linked. An individual’s coming out into their authentic identity is cause for celebration. Queer identity is often in flux; it is normal and healthy to reevaluate identity through multiple LGBTQ+ letters within a lifetime. No one owes their gender and sexual identity to feminism, nor do they have a choice in these identities; to dismiss an individual’s intelligence and demand otherwise is authoritarian bimisogynistic/transandrophobic conversion rhetoric. They will always be part of our community, even if they no longer identify with a certain subcategory. Lesbian community is smaller now because lesbianism by definition used to include more mspecs and genderqueers. Resources such as the “Lesbian Masterdoc” (whose very author now identifies as bi) are useful to some, but may cause others to not identify as lesbian if they face gatekeeping. Lesbian community can be grown by avoiding exclusion of those who are (or are dating) “excessively” mspec, fem, masc, or genderqueer folks.

⭐️ Cis women are biologically fragile and should be separated from everyone else in sports for their own safety and to avoid being dominated by trans women. Trans folks should have their own category. Scientifically, gender is one of the least logical ways to universally divide physical sport categories to maintain “fairness”, but the practice has held strong due to patriarchal stereotypes based on binary beliefs of biological sex (ignoring and invalidating intersex folks completely). Each sport requires a unique set of ideal physical characteristics. Cis women are statistically at least equally as capable as cis men in many sports. Currently, transfems who are allowed to play professionally in women’s sections have to pass strict physical exams that even cis women are not subjected to. Trans women statistically cannot dominate women’s sports. This line of exaggerated transphobia is dangerous as it aims to gatekeep normal human experiences from trans folks, especially trans kids.

⭐️ Gender-neutral bathrooms, and trans people in women’s bathrooms, are dangerous for cis women as this may invite predatory men. Gender-neutral bathrooms are not uncommon in global cultures, and public bathroom hypotheticals are a historical vehicle for bigotry, such as when bathrooms were segregated by race in the US. It is transphobic to misplace blame and police trans peoples’ existence for potential bigoted cis men.

⭐️ Trans sapphics are men in disguise trying to invade lesbian spaces. Trans lesbians encourage the idea that lesbians are also attracted to men. Real lesbians have a genital preference for vulvas, but trans sapphics decieve cis lesbians into dating them anyway. These are transmisogynistic and lesbophobic stereotypes. Trans women are women and are not responsible for the existence of any bigoted men. Transfems with penises are not interested in dating anyone who is not attracted to them; many lesbians also do not have a genital preference, as the definition of lesbianism includes all non-men. While having a “type” is normal, publicly announcing and imposing it with no relevant context is body-shaming, and, in this case, transphobic, regardless of your personal internalised reasons. (You would not keep repeating how you wouldn’t date a fat person and no one else should either, because that would be fatphobic.) A good way to ensure lesbian community growth is to wholeheartedly accept transbians.

⭐️ Lesbians who have never been with men or someone with a penis are more queer and superior to those who have. “Gold-star gay” rhetoric is harmful to all queer and trans folks, and misogynistically implies a woman can be tainted by a penis. This is lesbophobic and transmisogynistic purity culture.

⭐️ Cis bi women with boyfriends are invading lesbian spaces. Bisexuals should create their own communities rather than invading gay and lesbian spaces. Bi women shouldn’t bring their boyfriends to Pride. This is generally a hypothetical issue, as the vast majority of in-person lesbian events and bars depend on attendance numbers to survive, and all sapphics, often along with friends and plus ones, are welcome regardless of their labels. The most important requirement is to be polite and present good allyship. Due to the nature of bisexuality, bisexuals have historically participated in gay and lesbian spaces as well as their own, and it is monosexist to demand their exclusion from a culture they were fully involved in building. Many bisexuals are in bi4bi M/F relationships, and their queer partners belong at Pride. Bisexuals should also bring their straight partners to Pride as LGBTQ+ community is small, and we need dedicated allies to show up for our movements.

⭐️ Bi women inevitably center men because their sexuality is inclusive of men. Bi women cannot love women the way lesbians do since only lesbians have fully decentered men, and it’s valid for lesbians to find it repulsive to date bi women who have been with men. WLW relationships are not by default more queer whenever the participants are exclusively lesbian, as bi women are not “tainted” by men; that would be a bimisogynistic purity culture stereotype again. Just like lesbians, bi women also have to unlearn compulsory heterosexuality, alongside additional monosexist androcentric stereotypes. Bi WLW demonstrate unique devotion by choosing sapphic love despite having other, more convenient options under patriarchy. WLW exist regardless of any alternate attractions, not in spite of them. There are many bi and straight women who happen to have men as partners but are well-involved in women’s and queer coalition, mutual aid and activism. On the other hand, there are lesbians whose activism consists of entirely hypothetical online identity discourse centering the exclusion of men, rather than focusing on building sapphic community.

⭐️ Most bi men are secretly gay and will never be satisfied with a cis girlfriend, it’s valid for women to be repelled by a man who has dated or has attraction towards other men. This is an androcentric biphobic stereotype and another manifestation of patriarchal purity culture. Many bi men identify as gay to avoid poor treatment, so the opposite is actually true. Bi men are not “tainted” by their relations with men, nor are they less masculine simply due to their sexuality.

⭐️ Bisexuality is a stepping stone to being gay and non-binary is a stepping stone to being a binary trans individual. This is based in monosexism, and the opposite is often true—gay men and lesbians often come out as fluid, and trans men and women often come out as non-binary. The creator of the lesbian masterdoc herself now identifies as bisexual.

⭐️ Validity discourse is a redundant non-issue distracting from real LGBTQ+ rights crises. Affirming the queerness and belonging of perceived liminal LGBTQ+ identities such as the bi+, aro/ace, and non-binary spectrums is crucial to preventing well-documented and life-threatening hardships faced by these groups. This is an important part of LGBTQ+ movement.

⭐️ Lesbians are always prioritising les4les because they are biphobic. Women are harder to date than men.* Like trans folks who feel most comfortable and understood in T4T relationships, lesbians are valid for seeking out les4les. Highly marginalised groups prioritising relationships with one another is not automatically a slight against outside identities. While monosexism is a real issue within the LGBTQ+ community, there are many women open to dating any sapphics. Sapphic dating under the patriarchy may be difficult, but it is a misogynystic stereotype to proclaim women are by default “higher maintenance” than men.

⭐️ Most lesbians are biphobic, most bi+ sapphics are lesbophobic, most trans men are transmisogynistic, most trans women are transandrophobic, and so on. Just like all humans, small fractions of LGBTQ+ subcommunities are very loudly phobic on the internet, amplified by algorithms that prefer rage bait. They often unknowingly adopting divisive radfem ideology with limited knowledge of queer history. Internet exclusionists are symptoms of wider issues, but are not representative of the real life vast majority of these groups, who are incredibly kind, empathetic, and inclusive.

⭐️ Everyone is a little bit bisexual.* This generalisation can especially lead to lesbophobic stereotypes. Monosexuals do exist, and this is disrespectful to the severe challenges lesbians withstand to realise their sexuality excludes men under the patriarchy’s compulsory heterosexuality. Self-identified queer folks should be wholeheartedly believed. Expressing suspicion towards an individuals’s identity is violating.

⭐️ Bisexuality is a TERF identity because it implies the existance of binary gender, and doesn’t include trans, genderqueer and non-binary folks. You should use “pansexual” or other terms instead. Bisexuality includes all genders, as the “bi” refers to “two or more genders”. The bi+ or multisexual spectrum contains many MOGAI identities, including pan. Every queer person should choose the term that they personally feel fits best.

⭐️ Kinks do not belong at Pride because no one consented to seeing public sex acts, it is offensive to folks on the asexual spectrum, and children will also be present. Public sex is not being performed at Pride. Some queer folks wear kink-representing outfits that are no more revealing than regular outdoor summer festival wear. Puritanical respectability politics based on exaggerated sexualization is a tool to erase LGBTQ+ folks from public life, by dividing and conquering one “bad” group at a time.

⭐️ Butchfemme culture historically belongs only to lesbians. Other identities should use masc/fem. Femme4femme and butch4butch are less queer than butchfemme. Butchfemme is not by default superior to other sapphic dynamics. Historical lesbian butchfemme identity and spaces were inclusive of all sapphics (including bisexuals) before lesbian separatism. Decades before that, butchfemme originated in ballroom culture that included BIPOC men-aligned queers. Bi+ sapphics can perform lesbian butchfemme, and all other LGBTQ+ identities can also use these terms.

⭐️ “Bi/pan/mspec lesbian” is a recently-invented label for invading lesbian spaces and stoking lesbophobia by validating to men that all lesbians are attracted to them. “Bi lesbians” do not exist. They are lesbian TERFs because they believe lesbians don’t include trans women in their attraction. Or they are bisexuals with internalised biphobia as they don’t believe in bi fluidity. Lesbian identity is exclusive and can never be used by those who are mspec. “Bi sapphic” should be used instead. “Bi lesbian” is one of many valid LGBTQ+ labels that may appear complex, contradictory, or trivial. Statistically, a portion of lesbian-identifying women are mspec; bi lesbians make this part of their own identity explicit but do not intend to establish or imply that all lesbians are mspec, as it is lesbophobic to impose attraction to men on lesbians. However, it also remains bimisogynystic to hold queer women’s identities (such as “bi lesbian”) responsible for the potential bigotry from men. Before the establishment of political lesbianism (by mainly cishet white women), “lesbian”, was a universal umbrella term for all sapphics rather than an exclusive label. It functioned similarly to the word “gay”, which can refer to an exclusively gay man, but can be used by anyone. “Bi lesbian” is a historically significant identity that emerged as resistance to the destructive effects of separatism on lesbian community. Prominent activists identified explicitly as bisexual lesbian to take pride in their bisexuality when purity culture-based bimisogynistic monosexism was rife in the community. There are many valid reasons one may identify as a bi lesbian today, including limited non-actionable attraction to men, affirming trans/genderqueer identity (of the self and/or partner), or intimate connection to lesbian sexuality, gender, community, history, movement and lifestyle. While most contemporary bi+ sapphics choose to no longer identify as lesbians, they are not obligated to surrender lesbian terminology to radfem ideology; mspec sapphics have a right to lay claim to lesbian culture and identity, which they have equally partaken in for all history.

⭐️ Second-wave radical feminism isn’t bad because it actually did include BIPOC. Second-wave feminism was a complex, white-dominated movement that ultimately died due to its divisive and exclusionary ideology. There were many oft-erased marginalized BIPOC second-wave feminist voices, including queer Black women who favored intersectionality/inclusion and wrote excellent texts about it; for example, Bell Hooks critiqued the pervasive harmful rhetoric within the movement.

⭐️ LGBTQ+ identities are meant to be exclusive, with orderly definitions that are essential for meaningfully gaining relevant rights for each subcommunity. We reserve the right to correct or ignore people who misuse labels. Preserving lesbian spaces for monosexual lesbians only will achieve the eradication lesbophobia under patriarchy. LGBTQ+ identities have historically been based in complex shared experiences by multifacted individuals. For example, historical lesbian spaces were comprised of bi+ women, genderqueer and non binary folks, trans women, and trans men alongside exclusive cis lesbians. Imposing a queer person with labels they do not identify with is violating. Labels (and identities) are not definitive categories, and are meant for individual comfort and communication with no assigned “right” and “wrong” usage. The only “misuse” would be by a bigot specifically using a label to harm the subgroup, which is an arbitrary hypothetical. Safe spaces for minoritized groups with similar experiences, backgrounds and identities are important for recuperation and rehabilitation, but overall separatism is to the detriment to LGBTQ+ survival. The community at large is minoritised, and subgroups alone do not have a loud enough voice or visibility within the patriarchy. Historically, surviving queer spaces have welcomed all to even label-specific events.

Queerness is in opposition to patriarchy, which limits individuals in divisive assigned roles and separated classes. Queerness, by definition, is messy, complicated, and a celebration of unique individual agency. Movement cannot be sustainably achieved without intersectional inclusion and coalition—alongside those you do not relate to, and even those you may not agree with on all politics. This may require you to step out of your comfort zone, but that’s okay!

*not necessarily radfem rhetoric but still important!

Questions? Please read my sources! :)

🩷❤��🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

Disclaimer: I am a cis demisexual, bisexual femme WLW of colour. Colonialism has erased historical sapphic cultures in many countries, including my own. As the US has established cultural dominance, my understanding is based off western texts and studies. LGBTQ+ experiences are diverse, but we also reproduce patterns of existence and resistance globally, even without historical context. Unfortunately, this includes our mistakes, like succumbing to divisive rhetoric. Thanks for reading and kind suggestions & corrections are appreciated! :)

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lorynna · 2 months ago

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I've noticed that online communities almost inevitably tend to evolve into echo chambers where "hivemind" thinking takes over. Over time, the space for nuanced, balanced perspectives seems to shrink, while black-and-white narratives become more dominant. Subtle or critical viewpoints are often drowned out by the pressure to conform to the prevailing group consensus. It’s as if the algorithms, the need for validation and the speed of discourse all conspire to flatten complexity into easily digestible extremes. The result is a cultural climate where the most reductive takes are amplified, and intellectual diversity quietly erodes.

#radblr #radical feminism #radical feminists do interact #radical feminists please touch #radical feminist safe #feminism #radical feminist community #radical feminists do touch #gender critical #gender abolition

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years ago

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Privacy first

The internet is embroiled in a vicious polycrisis: child safety, surveillance, discrimination, disinformation, polarization, monopoly, journalism collapse – not only have we failed to agree on what to do about these, there's not even a consensus that all of these are problems.

But in a new whitepaper, my EFF colleagues Corynne McSherry, Mario Trujillo, Cindy Cohn and Thorin Klosowski advance an exciting proposal that slices cleanly through this Gordian knot, which they call "Privacy First":

https://www.eff.org/wp/privacy-first-better-way-address-online-harms

Here's the "Privacy First" pitch: whatever is going on with all of the problems of the internet, all of these problems are made worse by commercial surveillance.

Worried your kid is being made miserable through targeted ads? No surveillance, no targeting.

Worried your uncle was turned into a Qanon by targeted disinformation? No surveillance, no targeting. Worried that racialized people are being targeted for discriminatory hiring or lending by algorithms? No surveillance, no targeting.

Worried that nation-state actors are exploiting surveillance data to attack elections, politicians, or civil servants? No surveillance, no surveillance data.

Worried that AI is being trained on your personal data? No surveillance, no training data.

Worried that the news is being killed by monopolists who exploit the advantage conferred by surveillance ads to cream 51% off every ad-dollar? No surveillance, no surveillance ads.

Worried that social media giants maintain their monopolies by filling up commercial moats with surveillance data? No surveillance, no surveillance moat.

The fact that commercial surveillance hurts so many groups of people in so many ways is terrible, of course, but it's also an amazing opportunity. Thus far, the individual constituencies for, say, saving the news or protecting kids have not been sufficient to change the way these big platforms work. But when you add up all the groups whose most urgent cause would be significantly improved by comprehensive federal privacy law, vigorously enforced, you get an unstoppable coalition.

America is decades behind on privacy. The last really big, broadly applicable privacy law we passed was a law banning video-store clerks from leaking your porn-rental habits to the press (Congress was worried about their own rental histories after a Supreme Court nominee's movie habits were published in the Washington City Paper):

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

In the decades since, we've gotten laws that poke around the edges of privacy, like HIPAA (for health) and COPPA (data on under-13s). Both laws are riddled with loopholes and neither is vigorously enforced:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/09/how-to-make-a-child-safe-tiktok/

Privacy First starts with the idea of passing a fit-for-purpose, 21st century privacy law with real enforcement teeth (a private right of action, which lets contingency lawyers sue on your behalf for a share of the winnings):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/07/americans-deserve-more-current-american-data-privacy-protection-act

Here's what should be in that law:

A ban on surveillance advertising:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/03/ban-online-behavioral-advertising

Data minimization: a prohibition on collecting or processing your data beyond what is strictly necessary to deliver the service you're seeking.

Strong opt-in: None of the consent theater click-throughs we suffer through today. If you don't give informed, voluntary, specific opt-in consent, the service can't collect your data. Ignoring a cookie click-through is not consent, so you can just bypass popups and know you won't be spied on.

No preemption. The commercial surveillance industry hates strong state privacy laws like the Illinois biometrics law, and they are hoping that a federal law will pre-empt all those state laws. Federal privacy law should be the floor on privacy nationwide – not the ceiling:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/07/federal-preemption-state-privacy-law-hurts-everyone

No arbitration. Your right to sue for violations of your privacy shouldn't be waivable in a clickthrough agreement:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/04/stop-forced-arbitration-data-privacy-legislation

No "pay for privacy." Privacy is not a luxury good. Everyone deserves privacy, and the people who can least afford to buy private alternatives are most vulnerable to privacy abuses:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/10/why-getting-paid-your-data-bad-deal

No tricks. Getting "consent" with confusing UIs and tiny fine print doesn't count:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/designing-welcome-mats-invite-user-privacy-0

A Privacy First approach doesn't merely help all the people harmed by surveillance, it also prevents the collateral damage that today's leading proposals create. For example, laws requiring services to force their users to prove their age ("to protect the kids") are a privacy nightmare. They're also unconstitutional and keep getting struck down.

A better way to improve the kid safety of the internet is to ban surveillance. A surveillance ban doesn't have the foreseeable abuses of a law like KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act), like bans on information about trans healthcare, medication abortions, or banned books:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/kids-online-safety-act-still-huge-danger-our-rights-online

When it comes to the news, banning surveillance advertising would pave the way for a shift to contextual ads (ads based on what you're looking at, not who you are). That switch would change the balance of power between news organizations and tech platforms – no media company will ever know as much about their readers as Google or Facebook do, but no tech company will ever know as much about a news outlet's content as the publisher does:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/save-news-we-must-ban-surveillance-advertising

This is a much better approach than the profit-sharing arrangements that are being trialed in Australia, Canada and France (these are sometimes called "News Bargaining Codes" or "Link Taxes"). Funding the news by guaranteeing it a share of Big Tech's profits makes the news into partisans for that profit – not the Big Tech watchdogs we need them to be. When Torstar, Canada's largest news publisher, struck a profit-sharing deal with Google, they killed their longrunning, excellent investigative "Defanging Big Tech" series.

A privacy law would also protect access to healthcare, especially in the post-Roe era, when Big Tech surveillance data is being used to target people who visit abortion clinics or secure medication abortions. It would end the practice of employers forcing workers to wear health-monitoring gadget. This is characterized as a "voluntary" way to get a "discount" on health insurance – but in practice, it's a way of punishing workers who refuse to let their bosses know about their sleep, fertility, and movements.

A privacy law would protect marginalized people from all kinds of digital discrimination, from unfair hiring to unfair lending to unfair renting. The commercial surveillance industry shovels endless quantities of our personal information into the furnaces that fuel these practices. A privacy law shuts off the fuel supply:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/digital-privacy-legislation-civil-rights-legislation

There are plenty of ways that AI will make our lives worse, but copyright won't fix it. For issues of labor exploitation (especially by creative workers), the answer lies in labor law:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

And for many of AI's other harms, a muscular privacy law would starve AI of some of its most potentially toxic training data:

https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-updated-terms-to-use-customer-data-to-train-ai-2023-9

Meanwhile, if you're worried about foreign governments targeting Americans – officials, military, or just plain folks – a privacy law would cut off one of their most prolific and damaging source of information. All those lawmakers trying to ban Tiktok because it's a surveillance tool? What about banning surveillance, instead?

Monopolies and surveillance go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Some of the biggest tech empires were built on mountains of nonconsensually harvested private data – and they use that data to defend their monopolies. Legal privacy guarantees are a necessary precursor to data portability and interoperability:

https://www.eff.org/wp/interoperability-and-privacy

Once we are guaranteed a right to privacy, lawmakers and regulators can order tech giants to tear down their walled gardens, rather than relying on tech companies to (selectively) defend our privacy:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

The point here isn't that privacy fixes all the internet's woes. The policy is "privacy first," not "just privacy." When it comes to making a new, good internet, there's plenty of room for labor law, civil rights legislation, antitrust, and other legal regimes. But privacy has the biggest constituency, gets us the most bang for the buck, and has the fewest harmful side-effects. It's a policy we can all agree on, even if we don't agree on much else. It's a coalition in potentia that would be unstoppable in reality. Privacy first! Then – everything else!

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #privacy first #eff #privacy #surveillance #surveillance advertising #cold war 2.0 #tiktok #saving the news from big tech #competition #interoperability #interop #online harms #ai #digital discrimination #discrimination #health care #hippa #medical privacy

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mariacallous · 21 days ago

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One hallmark of our current moment is that when an event happens, there is little collective agreement on even basic facts. This, despite there being more documentary evidence than ever before in history: Information is abundant, yet consensus is elusive.

The ICE protests in Los Angeles over the past week offer an especially relevant example of this phenomenon. What has transpired is fairly clear: A series of ICE raids and arrests late last week prompted protests in select areas of the city, namely downtown, near a federal building where ICE has offices, and around City Hall and the Metropolitan Detention Center. There have been other protests south of there, around a Home Depot in Paramount, where Border Patrol agents gathered last week. The majority of these protests have been civil (“I mostly saw clergy sit-ins and Tejano bands,” The American Prospect’s David Dayen wrote). There has been some looting and property destruction. “One group of vandals summoned several Waymo self-driving cars to the street next to the plaza where the city was founded and set them ablaze,” my colleague Nick Miroff, who has been present at the demonstrations, wrote.

As is common in modern protests, there has also been ample viral footage from news organizations showing militarized police responding aggressively in encounters, sometimes without provocation. In one well-circulated clip, an officer in riot gear fires a nonlethal round directly at an Australian television correspondent carrying a microphone while on air; another piece of footage shot from above shows a police officer on horseback trampling a protester on the ground.

All of these dynamics are familiar in the post-Ferguson era of protest. What you are witnessing is a news event distributed and consumed through a constellation of different still images and video clips, all filmed from different perspectives and presented by individuals and organizations with different agendas. It is a buffet of violence, celebration, confusion, and sensationalism. Consumed in aggregate, it might provide an accurate representation of the proceedings: a tense, potentially dangerous, but still contained response by a community to a brutal federal immigration crackdown.

Unfortunately, very few people consume media this way. And so the protests follow the choose-your-own-adventure quality of a fractured media ecosystem, where, depending on the prism one chooses, what’s happening in L.A. varies considerably.

Anyone is capable of cherry-picking media to suit their arguments, of course, and social media has always narrowed the aperture of news events to fit particular viewpoints. Regardless of ideology, dramatic perspectives succeed on platforms. It is possible that one’s impression of the protests would be incorrectly skewed if informed only by Bluesky commentators, MSNBC guests, or self-proclaimed rational centrists. The right, for example, has mocked the idea of “mostly peaceful protests” as ludicrous when juxtaposed with video of what they see as evidence to the contrary. It’s likely that my grasp of the events and their politics is shaped by decades of algorithmic social-media consumption.

Yet the situation in L.A. only further clarifies the asymmetries among media ecosystems. This is not an even playing field. The right-wing media complex has a disproportionate presence and is populated by extreme personalities who have no problem embracing nonsense AI imagery and flagrantly untrue reporting that fits their agenda. Here you will find a loosely affiliated network of streamers, influencers, alternative social networks, extremely online vice presidents, and Fox News personalities who appear invested in portraying the L.A. protests as a full-blown insurrection. To follow these reports is to believe that people are not protesting but rioting throughout the city. In this alternate reality, the whole of Los Angeles is a bona fide war zone. (It is not, despite President Donald Trump’s wildly disproportionate response, which includes deploying hundreds of U.S. Marines to the area and federalizing thousands of National Guard members.)

I spent the better part of the week drinking from this particular firehose, reading X and Truth Social posts and watching videos from Rumble. On these platforms, the protests are less a news event than a justification for the authoritarian use of force. Nearly every image or video contains selectively chosen visuals of burning cars or Mexican flags unfurling in a smog of tear gas, and they’re cycled on repeat to create a sense of overwhelming chaos. They have titles such as “CIVIL WAR ALERT” and “DEMOCRATS STOKE WW3!” All of this incendiary messaging is assisted by generative-AI images of postapocalyptic, smoldering city streets—pure propaganda to fill the gap between reality and the world as the MAGA faithful wish to see it.

I’ve written before about how the internet has obliterated the monoculture, empowering individuals to cocoon themselves in alternate realities despite confounding evidence—it is a machine that justifies any belief. This is not a new phenomenon, but the problem is getting worse as media ecosystems mature and adjust to new technologies. On Tuesday, one of the top results for one user’s TikTok search for Los Angeles curfew was an AI-generated video rotating through slop images of a looted city under lockdown. Even to the untrained eye, the images were easily identifiable as AI-rendered (the word curfew came out looking like ciuftew). Still, it’s not clear that this matters to the people consuming and sharing the bogus footage. Even though such reality-fracturing has become a load-bearing feature of our information environment, the result is disturbing: Some percentage of Americans believes that one of the country’s largest cities is now a hellscape, when, in fact, almost all residents of Los Angeles are going about their normal lives.

On platforms such as Bluesky and Instagram, I’ve seen L.A. residents sharing pictures of themselves going about their day-to-day lives—taking out the trash, going to the farmers’ market—and lots of pictures of the city’s unmistakable skyline against the backdrop of a beautiful summer day. These are earnest efforts to show the city as it is (fine)—an attempt to wrest control of a narrative, albeit one that is actually based in truth. Yet it’s hard to imagine any of this reaching the eyes of the people who participate in the opposing ecosystem, and even if it did, it’s unclear whether it would matter. As I documented in October, after Hurricanes Helene and Milton destroyed parts of the United States, AI-generated images were used by Trump supporters “to convey whatever partisan message suits the moment, regardless of truth.”

In the cinematic universe of right-wing media, the L.A. ICE protests are a sequel of sorts to the Black Lives Matter protests of the summer of 2020. It doesn’t matter that the size and scope have been different in Los Angeles (at present, the L.A. protests do not, for instance, resemble the 100-plus nights of demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police that took place in Portland, Oregon, in 2020): Influencers and broadcasters on the right have seized on the association with those previous protests, insinuating that this next installment, like all sequels, will be a bigger and bolder spectacle. Politicians are running the sequel playbook—Senator Tom Cotton, who wrote a rightly criticized New York Times op-ed in 2020 urging Trump to “Send in the Troops” to quash BLM demonstrations, wrote another op-ed, this time for The Wall Street Journal, with the headline “Send in the Troops, for Real.” (For transparency’s sake, I should note that I worked for the Times opinion desk when the Cotton op-ed was published and publicly objected to it at the time.)

There is a sequel vibe to so much of the Trump administration’s second term. The administration’s policies are more extreme, and there’s a brazenness to the whole affair—nobody’s even trying to justify the plot (or, in this case, cover up the corruption and dubious legality of the government’s deportation regime). All of us, Trump supporters very much included, are treated as a captive audience, forced to watch whether we like it or not.

This feeling has naturally trickled down to much of the discourse and news around Trump’s second presidency, which feels (and generally is) direr, angrier, more intractable. The distortions are everywhere: People mainlining fascistic AI slop are occupying an alternate reality. But even those of us who understand the complexity of the protests are forced to live in our own bifurcated reality, one where, even as the internet shows us fresh horrors every hour, life outside these feeds may be continuing in ways that feel familiar and boring. We are living through the regime of a budding authoritarian—the emergency is here, now—yet our cities are not yet on fire in the way that many shock jocks say they are.

The only way out of this mess begins with resisting the distortions. In many cases, the first step is to state things plainly. Los Angeles is not a lawless, postapocalyptic war zone. The right to protest is constitutionally protected, and protests have the potential to become violent—consider how Trump is attempting to use the force of the state to silence dissent against his administration. There are thousands more peaceful demonstrations scheduled nationally this weekend. The tools that promised to empower us, connect us, and bring us closer to the truth are instead doing the opposite. A meaningful percentage of American citizens appears to have dissociated from reality. In fact, many of them seem to like it that way.

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totallynormalinthemorgue · 7 days ago

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I don't think death should be taboo. It's a natural part of the life cycle of all things. It can be sad, yes, but not everyone sees it that way or obsesses over the negative aspects. There's no wrong way to think about it, it's just a thing that happens. There's nothing inherently special about a corpse. Of course, the decedent's wishes should be respected because people have different beliefs about what happens after death. If someone believes they'll be watching from above and they wouldn't like necrophilic acts done to their body, then it would be unethical to do that. If someone consents to it before death, then there's nothing wrong with it. The negative reaction people have to necrophilia is an emotional one, shaped by cultural taboos. Basically, they've been taught to find necrophilia disgusting, and they're confusing disgust with morality. As you know, you shouldn't impose your disgust on other people's choices that harm no one and don't involve you, especially not while treating it like an obvious moral fact. I don't want to engage in any false-equivilancy, but please think about the opinions you have on people who do that on other topics, and whether there's anything genuinely different about necrophilia that can't be solved by a consensual agreement beforehand.

You're allowed to find it personally disgusting. You don't need to justify it morally or harass others about it.

Secondary to this, I hope people who harass and report necrophiles also consider that, even if you can not and will not believe that necrophilia as an act is okay, a lot of necrophiles haven't committed necrophilia. In my experience on here, the vast, vast majority haven't, even while talking in DMs to me, someone who is openly accepting about people's choices in that regard. So what you're policing is fantasy. It's a discussion of desires that society deems wrong. It's funny how that's totally okay for most kink. In fact, censorship of that is wrong, but for necrophilia, censorship is the good and moral thing to do. You can understand that people don't choose what they're attracted to when it comes to queerness and kink, you can understand that thought crimes aren't real when you're talking to someone with OCD (unless, of course, it's P-OCD), but somehow, none of that applies to necrophilia and other paraphilias. We should be able to stop finding corpses hot, we should be able to control our thoughts, we should never discuss the topic or express ourselves in our own community. We don't spam unrelated tags. We don't shove it in your faces. You're seeing it because you either looked in our tags, someone you follow reblogged a post about it, or tumblr's recommendation algorithm is wonky as hell.

Just block. Block the tags and block users when you happen to see posts about it. It's not your problem.

Most of us don't have the luxury of being open about it in person. People get tired of hiding. I'm not expecting the internet to suddenly be free of harassment, but if I could persuade even one person to be more open minded, or at least to hit the block button instead of sending hate or reporting, it would be progress.

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genderkoolaid · 1 year ago

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sorry if you've talked about it already, but what is it that makes KOSA's idea of online safety wrong? I don't know much about the bill, what does it intend to do?

What do you think is a good way to protect kids from things like online predators or just seeing things that they shouldn't be seeing? (By which I mean sex and graphic violence, things which you'd need to be 16+ to see in a movie theater so I think it makes sense to not want pre-teens to see it)

From stopkosa.com:

Why is KOSA a bad bill? KOSA uses two methods to “protect” kids, and both of them are awful. First, KOSA would incentivize social media platforms to erase content that could be deemed “inappropriate” for minors. The problem is: there is no consensus on what is inappropriate for minors. All across the country we are seeing how lawmakers are attacking young people’s access to gender affirming healthcare, sex education, birth control, and abortion. Online communities and resources that queer and trans youth depend on as lifelines should not be subject to the whims of the most rightwing extremist powers and we shouldn’t give them another tool to harm marginalized communities. Second, KOSA would ramp up the online surveillance of all internet users by expanding the use of age verification and parental monitoring tools. Not only are these tools needlessly invasive, they’re a massive safety risk for young people who could be trying to escape domestic violence and abuse.

I’ve heard there’s a new version of KOSA. What’s the deal? The new version of KOSA makes some good changes: narrowing the ability of rightwing attorneys general to weaponize KOSA to target content they don’t like and limiting the problematic “duty of care. However, because the bill is still not content neutral, KOSA still invites the harms that civil rights advocates have warned about. As LGBTQ and reproductive rights groups have said for months, the fundamental problem with KOSA is that its “duty of care” covers content specific aspects of content recommendation systems, and the new changes fail to address that. In fact, personalized recommendation systems are explicitly listed under the definition of a design feature covered by the duty of care in the new version. This means that a future Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could still use KOSA to pressure platforms into automated filtering of important, but controversial topics like LGBTQ issues and abortion, by claiming that algorithmically recommending such content “causes” mental health outcomes that are covered by the duty of care like anxiety and depression. Bans on inclusive books, abortion, and gender affirming healthcare have been passed on exactly that kind of rhetoric in many states recently. And we know that already existing content filtering systems impact content from marginalized creators exponentially more, resulting in discrimination and censorship. It’s also important to remember that algorithmic recommendation includes, for example, showing a user a post from a friend that they follow, since most platforms do not show all users all posts, but curate them in some way. As long as KOSA’s duty of care isn’t content neutral, platforms will be likely to react the same way that they did to the broad liability imposed by SESTA/FOSTA: by engaging in aggressive filtering and suppression of important, and in some cases lifesaving, content.

Why it's bad:

The way it's written (even after being changed, which the website also goes over), it is still possible for this law to be used to restrict things like queer content, discussion of reproductive rights and resources, and sexual education.

It will restrict youth's ability to use the Internet independently, essentially cutting off life support to many vulnerable people who rely on the Internet to learn that they are queer, being abused, disabled, etc.

Better alternatives:

Stop relying on ageist ideas of purity and innocence. When we focus on protecting the "purity" of youth, we dehumanize them and it becomes more about soothing adult anxieties than actually improving the lives of children.

Making sure content (sexual, violent, etc.) is marked/tagged and made avoidable for anyone who doesn't want to engage with it.

Teach children why certain things may be upsetting and how best to avoid those things.

Teach children how to recognize grooming and abuse and empower them to stop it themselves.

Teach children how to recognize fear, discomfort, trauma, and how to cope with those experiences.

The Internet makes a great boogeyman. But the idea that it is uniquely corrupting the Pure Innocent Youth relies on the idea that all children are middle-class suburban White kids from otherwise happy homes. What about the children who see police brutality on their front lawns, against their family members? How are we protecting them from being traumatized? Or children who are seeing and experiencing physical and sexual violence in their own homes, by the parents who prevent them from realizing what's happening by restricting their Internet usage? How does strengthening parent's rights stop those kids from being groomed? Or the kids who grow up in evangelical Christian homes and are given graphic descriptions of the horrors of the Apocalypse and told if they ever question their parents, they'll be left behind?

Children live in the same world we do. There are children who are already intimately aware of violence and "adult" topics because of their lived experiences. Actually protecting children means being concerned about THEIR human rights, it means empowering them to save themselves, it means giving them the tools to understand their own feelings and traumas. KOSA is just another in a long line of attempts to "save the children!" by dehumanizing them and giving more power to the people most likely to abuse them. We need to stop trying to protect children's "innocence" and appreciate that children are already growing, changing people, learning to deal with discomfort and pain and the weight of the world the same as everyone else. What people often think keeps kids safe really just keeps them ignorant and quiet.

Another explanation as to why it's bad:

#m.#ask box

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astronomodome · 8 months ago

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Astronomodome's 2024 US Presidential Election Liveblog

First of all I want to say I have other stuff to work on today so I might not be super up to date with stuff but I'll try my best to give my thoughts as to what's going on.

So first, how do we tell who wins?

In the U.S., the popular vote doesn't decide who wins the presidency. Instead, we use the (much hated) electoral college. Here's a helpful visual.

Every state (and DC) is given at least three electors, usually more based on population (which is why states like California and Texas have so many). There are 538 in total. To win, a candidate needs more than half of these- half of 538 is 269, so a candidate needs at least 270. (Interestingly, it is possible for both candidates to receive exactly 269 electors, in which case the universe corrupts and we all die infinitely the House of Representative chooses who wins, with each state getting one vote.)

The national popular vote may not matter, but the popular votes of each of the states do. Whoever wins the popular vote in each state (except Nebraska and Maine bc they're weird but that's not too important) wins all the electors for that state. It's very all-or-nothing which is why a lot of people don't like it.

This is a map from election forecaster 538, one of many such organizations that use polling and algorithms and election magic or something to predict who is likely to win each state. They have a lot of good graphs and stuff to look at on their site if you want to learn more about the stats of everything. As the key notes, we can see which way each state is expected to vote, as well as a few states highlighted in bold as likely swing states.

Swing states are basically wherever the election is close and the number of electors is high enough to 'swing' the election. Basically, while all the other states are mostly decided based on precedent (though surprises are possible), these states could reasonably go either way. This is why both candidates hold so many rallies in Pennsylvania, for example- it's competitive, and they want to boost their chances of winning those electors by currying favor directly with those voters.

One thing this map doesn't show is what I lovingly refer to as the Bar. It looks like this. I bring it up because if you follow the election news you'll see it. A lot.

The arrows in the middle point to 269.5, the exact midpoint. Whoever reaches that midpoint by filling up the bar wins (the beige in the middle are the tossup states who could go either way).

For example, let's look at 270towin. (the forecast websites love their special numbers.) They have a fun interactive map where you can make the votes go wherever you want to see what would happen.

^ Here's their prediction based on consensus.

^ Here, I changed Florida so it votes blue. Not likely unless I can bribe enough officials to make it so my ballot is the only one that counts (fair and just). We can see that the Bar has shifted, and the blue side has almost reached the arrows. Let's see what happens if we add another blue state. Let's say... Georgia, for example.

Wow! If the states were to vote this way, the Democrats would win, even if all the other undecided states went red. Is it likely? No. But, well, how do we know that?

In short, we don't. But we can guess, and that's what polls are for. There are several different types, but the most important ones for right now are exit polls. They'll start coming out soon, I think. I'm not sure if they have to wait until all the polls close (so people don't see them and decide not to vote or something because of it) but I think they do, at least in some states. Exit polls are conducted right outside of voting locations as voters exit, which makes them more accurate than other polls. They're not free of bias, though, so as always take them with a grain of salt. They're the first indicator we'll have of how it went, but they're not the final numbers.

One ray of hope I want to point out is the currently infamous Selzer Iowa poll (not an exit poll but still relevant). Ann Selzer is a really trusted pollster, known for a long streak of accuracy. She published a poll a day ago that indicated that Harris was beating Trump (!) in Iowa (!!) by 3 points (!!!). Iowa is... not considered a Democratic state; it went for Trump last election by 14 points. So this is really surprising (understatement). And yes, it could mean absolutely nothing... but it certainly shocked a lot of people, including Trump, who tweeted angrily about it.

States count their votes in different ways. Some results will be out within the day, others might take weeks. But usually most states can be 'called' for a candidate before every vote is counted. This is because the leading candidate will have more votes than can be overcome by the other one, even if every vote counted was for them. The important thing is that, as polls close over the next couple hours, they'll be counting. I saw one report that said election officials in Idaho, for example, plan on counting every vote "before they go to bed that night," which I thought was kind of a cute way to put it. Most states will release vote counts in batches or by county, which means that other batches or counties might still be counting as others submit their counts. That last sentence had a lot of 'count' related words in it, huh.

One thing to note about vote counting is that absentee or mail-in ballots often take longer to be received and counted than in-person votes. This can cause a phenomenon called "blue shift"- basically, a lot of mail-in ballots are cast by college students (like me!) or people who live overseas, and those groups tend to vote more Democratic than in-person voters. That means that late in the counting process, totals will often shift more towards the Democratic candidate. Famously, this is how Biden ended up winning Georgia in 2020- initially it was forecasted to remain red, but it inched over slowly as mail-in ballots were received.

So, in short, that's how we figure out who will be president. I'll be keeping track of what happens tonight, but it's very possible we won't know who wins until tomorrow morning or even later. Let's hope for the best :)

#i hope this isn't too rambly lol #i wanted to explain how it all works and why certain information comes out when without being too confusing #2024 presidential election

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rewvyu · 2 months ago

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An Update On Infinity Nikki Protest

This is for those that are interested in or following the Infinity Nikki protest, especially what is happening on the CN side.

While Papergames has been silent since they last issued the apology statement, many more issues had risen such as; players realising the main story opening retcon, the most recently Sea of Stars currency bug, and more bugs.

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Before I begin, this is for those that are unaware of the protest or need to catch up, I have covered some of it on my other posts below (not everything about the protest or boycott are covered, but the main gist of it): 1. The Beginning Of The Protest 2. Summary Of Papergames Apology Statement (For the protest) 3. CN Stylists Protest Continues (After the Papergames Apology) 4. CN Stylists Consensus On Papergames Apology Statement 5. Protest/Boycott/Girlcott Misinformation & Trolls

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The Current CN Stylists Sentiment

Disclaimer: This is my interpretation after reading and watching multiple CN Stylists' posts/videos on Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Douyin, and Bilibili. I do try to be as unbiased as possible, but most posts and videos are usually recommended by algorithm or just more popular than some of the lesser known ones.

In recent days, many CN stylists have continued to voice out their discontent on how Papergames are treating them by ignoring the issues raised and for not fixing the bugs in-game fast enough.

From what I have seen, is that CN stylists that are protesting and boycotting have begin to break into two groups. The first group are those that continues to strongly protest and boycott Papergames. The second group are those that have given up hope that Papergames will ever address their concerns.

For the first group, not much has changed as they are still making the similar demands that were from the beginning of the protest with some added demands such as reverting the opening story and UI, and to compensate for all the bugs that are still not fixed.

As for the second group, they have been voicing out hopelessness of Papergames ever going to address their concerns. Leading to many of those that are in this group considering to completely abandon Infinity Nikki and Papergames' IPs, or some chose to continue playing, however they have pledge to continue only as free-to-play and not spend any more money.

With all that said, there are still a lot of CN stylists protesting in Infinity Nikki Official social media post's comment section.

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Additional words from myself

Please be aware of misinformation and trolls that are trying to fan the flame. I have written a post on this topic recently, however misinformation and trolls continue to spread like wildfire (such as encouraging stylists to chargeback, etc) within the Infinity Nikki community, and this is happening in both CN and Global side.

I have also seen mainstream media websites that are covering the protest and boycott. However I do need to warn everyone that based on what I have read so far from the mainstream media, a lot of their coverage are very shallow and can be easily misunderstood. Especially most of the coverage sources originate from Reddit and poorly machine-translated Xiaohongshu posts, which sometimes can be inaccurate and/or biased.

My word of advice would be to always fact check and question those internet posts, articles, videos (and mine is no-exception to this advice).

Lastly, please do NOT attack anyone (inclusive of the developer's employees) because they do not share or disagree with your view/opinion.

Everyone is trying and doing their best for Infinity Nikki, and I believe Papergames employees also want the best for Infinity Nikki (just like an artist would always want to put out their best work).

#i wanted to add my own thoughts on the situation but i figure that i will make a separate post on that next time #infinity nikki #infinity nikki protest

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elysiadjarin · 15 days ago

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Sword and Shield 12

Tags: Bad Batch x reader (you), fem!coded, poly!relationship, multi-part series, nonhuman!reader, Echo later on

Part 11: Discoveries, Inquiries

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI please this contains smut, PIV unprotected sex (irl be safe please), everything is consensual, shower sex, oral, switch play, poly relationship

12: Mission

Curled comfortably in your chair, you stared at the live holonet news feed about the new progression in the Galactic War. Frowning, you watched as the news reels began to all converge in your mind, pointing to a central conflict. Shipyards of Anaxes.

Frowning, you reached for your datapad. Connecting to your comm, you accessed the records the 501st and the Bad Batch had on the situation. If the 501st had been assigned to a mission regarding Anaxes, you'd be able to see it. Commander Rex had, whether purposely or not, left you with full access to the files as though you were still an active member of his squadron.

As you continued perusing the records and field reports, your concern started to build. Standing, you quickly made your way to the holotable. Pulling up file after file, you started comparing reports, highlighting reels and reports and compiling information.

Why had there been so many heavy losses? It was unprecedented number of casualties and failures on the Republic's side, especially considering how many Jedi had been involved. No leaks had been reported, so how had the Republic suffered so many losses?

You honed in on the 501st's reports, beginning to realize how many of the battles they'd been sent to. As you focused on their records, specifically the ones written by Captain Rex, you started to notice small things that niggled at the back of your mind. Some pattern that started to piece together, familiar in a way you couldn't quite put your finger on.

You leaned back, eyes narrowing as you tapped your finger against your lip, casting your mind back. Though you hadn't been able to Bond with the 501st as deeply as you had with the Bad Batch, that didn't mean you hadn't grown close to them. You'd been with them for years: of course you got familiar with their fighting styles, strategies, formations, and strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, you mused, the way Commander Rex led his legion.

The pattern started to fall into place as you looked at it through the lens of working so closely with your former Captain. Head tilting, you started recomparing certain reports and files. Eventually, it spread in front of your eyes in a visual picture, glowing in the dim room of the ship.

Commander Rex had a strategy algorithm.

You reached for your comm. You didn't have to wait long for him to pick up.

"Shiv," Rex's voice came over the comm, sounding surprised.

"Commander," you greeted absently, setting the comm on speaker and setting it down while you stared at your visual. "Your algorithm."

"Excuse me?" Rex sounded confused, almost shocked.

You reached over and plugged your comm into the holotable. "I'm sending you my research," you said, plowing on. "I was watching the news and thought it was odd that the Republic kept taking so many consecutive losses over Anaxes." You stepped back and stared at the screen, arms crossed. Tech looked up from his seat, his attention caught.

"So I started looking into the records I had access to," you continued, "and something kept standing out to me but I couldn't figure out what, until I started recalling working with you on field. I noticed a pattern, and started comparing it with the reports of the recent battles. Someone has figured out your algorithm, haven't they?" you asked, troubled. You had started to almost think aloud at that point. “Your patterns are too exact to be completely random, but they change enough to be more difficult to trace. But I wouldn’t be able to predict which one you’d use next unless I had the exact algorithm. But how would you even be able to steal that information? Much less the Separatists?”

A sigh came over the comm. “I told you, Cody. And Shiv has worked with me and my boys for years. She didn’t know that I had an algorithm. In fact, only two of my boys do.”

You blinked, surprised that he was addressing someone else. Commander Cody, no less-?

“I suppose that’s proof enough that someone has stolen it somehow,” Cody conceded, his voice heavy with resignation. “But how?”

“Who knows?” You asked confusedly.

Rex paused. “Just Fives. And... and Echo.”

You closed your eyes, sinking your teeth into your lip as you took in a shaky breath and forced yourself to keep it together. “But Fives can’t be the leak,” you managed, voice steadying.

“How do we know-“

“He’s dumb,” you deadpanned. “My Vod is smart but he’s not close enough to that kind of smart to keep treason from the rest of the legion.”

“As brutal as Shiv is, she’s right,” Rex agreed dryly.

“Well then all three options are out of the question, then,” Cody said in frustration.

“Are they?” Rex’s voice turned grim. “It was never confirmed that Echo died at the Citadel-“

“Do we have to do this?” you asked, reaching up to your chest. “Please, Commander. I can’t take false hopes after trying for a year to just accept that he’s gone.”

“I know, Shiv,” Rex answered quietly. “But you know I wouldn’t really be entertaining it if it weren’t a possibility. We never confirmed that Echo actually died. You yourself said that you tried to shield him. What if it worked, just enough? What’s the chances that some Separatists got ahold of him and decided to use him? It’s been done before.” The ‘like you’ was implied in his theory, but it made you squeeze your eyes shut and just try to imagine an alternate universe where Echo really had survived.

“Look, even if it did happen, as unlikely as it is— we need to discuss with the Jedi the possibility that they have somehow gotten ahold of your algorithm. Shiv, you’re with the Clone Force 99. Do you think Hunter would be willing to come with us on a mission to infiltrate and see if—“

“Cody, wait,” Rex broke in. “Shiv, there’s something you need to know before you consider anything.”

You blinked, thoroughly caught off guard. You glanced at Tech, bewildered, as he tilted his head curiously at the comm. “I— yes, sir.”

A heavy sigh. “I did find out one of the masterminds behind the Separatists on Anaxes. It’s the head of the Techno Union. Someone named Admiral Trench.”

Your breath froze. Staring blankly at the holoscreen, your brain instantly flashed back to memories of your abuse. The emblem of the Separatist that had eventually purchased you and ‘tested’ you in a massacre. The loathsome fingers that had gripped your hair, possessively traced down your babyish face. The voice that haunted your nightmares, laced with utter boredom as Skarla ripped you open with maniacal laughter. Memories of subservient voices calling to Admiral Trench, please—

Your blood turned to ice in your veins as you stiffened. “Do you have a scythe?” you asked, your voice frighteningly empty.

“A scythe-?”

You tilted your head, the icy rage clearing your head. Your voice suddenly changed, shifting in tone to something you knew Rex would remember and hate. “I’m sorry, Master. I failed you.” The exhausted fear that clouded your voice felt bitterly familiar on your tongue. “Please, Master-“ your voice rose in desperation, “Please don’t send me back to Skarla. I’ll be good, Master, I promise!”

“Shiv,” Rex’s voice sounded tight with the memory of your first few weeks with them after they’d rescued you, after they’d found the footage of your fights with the Guide and Guardian and the torture of your failure.

“It hurts, Master,” you whimpered, ruthless in reminding him. “Please, don’t let Skarla touch me again. I won’t fail.” Your voice suddenly pitched high in a memory of panic. “Please, let me use a scythe! Please, Master, I’ll do better, don’t leave me—“

“Shiv!” Rex barked.

A grin that tasted like iron stretched over your lips as you changed your voice entirely. “Make your bargain. Make your bargain. I choose a Champion. You’re not getting anyone new today, Skarla.” You unfolded the memory of your report to him, knowing that he’d seen Tech’s footage. “You’ve already made the mistake of letting me choose my own weapon, Skarla,” you recalled. “Stop playing.” Your voice dropped into a hiss. “And let me fight. Or are you scared? Do you remember what I did to you last time we met? Are you still stinging from your failure, Skarla? Tell me, did I leave a scar?”

You stared straight ahead at the holoscreen.

Your voice went back to the frightened child, expecting pain at every turn. “Master? Do you have a scythe?”

A silence fell over the comms.

“You’ve made your point, Shiv,” Rex conceded. “But I never want to hear you call anyone Master again.”

“Yes, sir,” you said quietly. “If your idea receives attention from the Jedi, I will bring your request to Sergeant Hunter.”

“Thank you, Shiv. We’ll count on your support if we gain permission for the mission. We’ll keep in contact.”

“Of course, Commander.”

The comm connection broke, and you leaned against the table, breaths shuddering. No. You couldn’t hope that Echo was alive. But if you found out that he was the one responsible for taking yet another thing away from you... You wouldn’t let him live another miserable day if you could help it. Why did he have to take everything that mattered from you?

“Shiv,” Tech’s voice sounded from beside you, reminding you that he was there.

“It’s not fair!” You whirled to him, burying your fingers in your hair in frustration. “It’s not fair, Tech! He— he took everything from me!” You threw your hand furiously toward the direction of the comm. “Admiral Trench,” you spat, disgust roiling in your voice. “He bought me, tested me when I was nine by using me to massacre not only my best friend my own age, a child, but a roomful of innocent slaves who did nothing wrong. He’s the one who trained me by sending me to fight an ancient Guardian over and over mercilessly and let me be tortured every single time I inevitably failed— he took and he took and he took from me until I wasn’t anything anymore! He took away my childhood, my innocence, my life, my self-worth, my self-esteem, my ability to trust— and now he’s taken away the man I first learned to trust, ripped away from me the man I first learned to love? What more can he take?”

You stepped into his chest, burying your face into his shoulder. You didn’t even have the capacity to cry over it anymore. All you felt was a burning, righteous anger.

“Nothing,” Tech answered, his voice low and even as he wrapped his arms around you. “He won’t take anything else from you, Shiv. We’re going to make sure of it. We’re going to go get CT-1409 back.”

But you pulled back and shook your head. “Don’t, Tech,” you said miserably. “I can’t— I can’t live with any more false hopes. Just let me move on.”

But Tech caught your chin gently, lifting your head to meet his eyes. “One more time, cyar’ika,” he murmured. “Just one more. For his memory, if not yourself.”

You closed your eyes. “I just want it to be over,” you whispered, voice breaking.

Tech pressed a soft kiss to your lips, thumb smoothing over your cheek. “I know. But we’ll be right here for you. We’ll make it through.” He gave you a small, encouraging smile. “Why don’t we go tell Hunter.”

“No need.” Hunter stood in the doorway, arms crossed. He nodded toward the comm. “I told the others. The minute we get coordinates, we’re off.”

You turned and gave him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you,” you whispered, then looked down. “Sorry. I just—“

“Don’t apologize.” Hunter shook his head at you. “Never for that, Shiv.”

You hoped desperately that this mission wouldn’t end up breaking you.

Your comm buzzed. Reaching over, you picked up, disheveled after your workout on Yalbec Prime.

“I’m sending you coordinates, Shiv. This is still your private comm, right?”

Your lips twitched despite yourself, and you gave Tech a wry look. “If the whole cavalry counts as private-“

“Good enough,” Rex said dryly.

“We’ll be there soon, sir,” you promised.

Rex sighed. “I hope you’re bringing me a good surprise, Shiv.”

You glanced over at Wrecker as Hunter punched in the coordinates. “I... think I am, sir,” you assured. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

He hung up, and you wrinkled your nose as you plucked at your sweaty clothes. You’d actually managed to find a good pair of combat clothes on Yalbec that you may or may not have swiped from the Separatist base— good timing, since the ones you had on were about to fall apart.

“I’m going to go take a quick shower,” you said, gathering up your gear and starting to pad off to the shower.

“Oh, Shiv—“ Wrecker followed you out of the common room.

You turned, waiting for him with a smile. “Yea?”

He paused for a moment, staring dumbly down at you. “Uh-“ He scratched the back of his head, helmet tucked under his arm. His eyes glanced down, then back up at you. “Uh— can I—“ he glanced over your shoulder, uncharacteristically flustered.

You smiled and reached out your hand. “Shower?” you offered, not opposed to the idea of having company.

His face lit up. “Yeah— yeah!” He took your hand.

With a soft laugh, you laced your fingers in his broad ones and turned, pulling him down the hall. “So, did you like the gloves? I know you didn’t get to use them that much, but you seemed comfortable using them,” you remarked, leaning into the fresher to twist the handle and get it going. The recycled water steamed a little, promising a needed relief for your stiff muscles.

“Yeah!” Wrecker enthused, beginning to strip out of his armor. “It felt great, Shiv. The way they smashed was great!”

You hummed, pulling off clothes and hopping out of your pants. You’d gotten a cramp earlier thanks to accidentally Dissolving a Transfer at the wrong time and hurtling across the air screaming before managing to grab Tech’s hand and Transferring just before hitting the ground. Your whole body wanted that hot water.

“Did anything feel off about the mods?” You asked, picking up your shirt and wrinkling your nose at the holes in it. “They seemed to be functioning fine, but I’m not the user so sometimes I can’t tell.”

“Nah, they felt fine,” Wrecker answered, setting your concerns to rest. Wrecker had a pretty good feel for weapons, so his comfort in using the gloves boded well for their future use.

Bending, you stepped out of your underwear and reached up to unhook your bra. You’d folded your clothes and set them by the door so you could grab them later when you left and pop them in the trash. They were pretty much ruined anyway. Morosely, you glanced at them. You’d need to go shopping for more clothes, soon. The way your wardrobe was disappearing, you’d need some good replacements soon.

Turning, you shook your head. “Wrecker, really,” you chided without any true anger. “At least fold your blacks and don’t leave everything scattered around.” Bending, you picked up the discarded blacks and folded them, setting them aside and starting to put his armor nearby as well.

“Oh. Sorry, Shiv,” Wrecker said sheepishly.

You’d just dropped down to pick up an arm plate when a shadow fell over you. Looking up, you blinked to see him staring down at you, holding his gauntlet. Reaching down, he helped you up and set the pieces aside. Then his hands wrapped around your waist, and he hoisted you up.

You squeaked in surprise, starting to laugh breathlessly as he walked toward the running water. “Wrecker- what-“

He stepped into the shower, but still didn’t let go of you. Instead, he wrapped your legs around his waist and held you up, hands still gripping your hips.

You sighed in relief at the feeling of the hot water cascading down your body, muscles unclenching at the blessed heat. Wrecker’s grip was firm on you, steady as he held you off your feet and pulled you against him. After a moment of just enjoying the hot water, you decided to inquire into his uncharacteristic behavior.

Reaching up, you gently traced your fingers along his jaw. You gave him a smile as he focused on you, surprisingly quiet. You brushed your thumb over the scar that branched over the side of his face, admiring for not the first time how much it accentuated his eyes. The scars never bothered you, no matter how small or large.

“Is something on your mind, Wreck?” you murmured, cupping his face in your hands. Things rarely ever truly bothered him, but you knew that he did feel things deeply at times. The way he’d been acting lately made you think there was something that was weighing on him.

His hands tightened a little, then he sighed. “Are you doing okay, Shiv?” he asked, blunt but with concern in his good eye as he scrutinized your face.

You smiled, touched at his concern. Looking down at the rivulets that trailed down his chest, you let your hands slide down to his shoulders. You had to be honest with Wrecker. Because he deserved that, at the very least.

“Well... not really, not right now,” you admitted, looking back up at him. “But I will be. It’s just... going to take me some time.” You brushed your hand across his cheek. “This mission we’re going on... I know you’ve heard about... well. The Separatist leader of this group.”

His face darkened as he glared at the wall behind you. “Yeah, I know. I’m going to beat him to a pulp when we find him, Shiv. He’s not gonna touch you again, cyare.”

The little epithet made you almost me you melt, your heart turning to goo at how protective Wrecker was. “I know you will,” you said with a nod. “But also...” You sighed. “Can I tell you a story?”

He looked down at you, then nodded. “Course, Shiv.”

“When the 501st took me in, it took me a long time to get to where I am now. There were so many inhibitor chips that I had to get rid of and work through, so many new things to learn. And it took me a long time to learn how to trust people. You remember what I was like when I first met you.”

He nodded, frowning.

“I was even worse back then, Wreck,” you sighed, shaking your head. “I believed everyone would hurt me, wanted to use me, and I thought that there was nothing I could do about it. But the 501st... they helped me learn better. Kix, our medic, patched me up and taught me kindness and care. Fives became my protective Vod that I could go to when I wanted to be cheered up. Rex was the only one I allowed to use me as a weapon for a while, since I viewed him back then as my new Master since he’d taken me from... Admiral Trench.” Your nose wrinkled. “And there was another trooper that helped me. He was the first one I really, truly trusted to never hurt me. He was kind and gentle with me, and was really patient when all I knew was being afraid.”

Your smile was laced with the bittersweet pain of the memory. “He was the one who first taught me how to love, even though he never knew that.” Your eyes softened as you looked up at Wrecker, intently listening to you. “You know how much I love you, Wrecker, right?”

He nodded, his gaze turning adorably infatuated as he looked down at you. “Yeah! I love you too, Shiv.”

You leaned up and pressed a grateful kiss to his lower lip. “And that means the world to me. I never thought I’d get to be loved by wonderful, caring people like you. And now, I’m able to have that with you because I learned what it meant to love with Echo. Falling in love with him... taught me how to trust, respect, and have a healthy relationship.”

Wrecker nodded. “But what happened to him?” he asked, clearly trying to be gentle about it.

Your chest heaved as you sighed. “It was a mission... he was supposed to retrieve a transport ship, and I’d gone with him.” The memory weighed on you. “It went wrong and...” It was like your heart twisted with the pain. “I tried to shield him from the blast, I really did,” you whispered. “But he Dissolved the Transfer, and forced me to go, to leave him.” You leaned your head down onto his shoulder. “I didn’t want to, Wreck,” you groaned. “But he forced me to. Sometimes I just... wish I hadn’t listened.”

Wrecker leaned his head against yours. “But Commander Rex said that-“

“But we don’t know that, Wreck,” you agonized. “And I don’t want to get my hopes up just to have them crushed all over again.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Wrecker agreed soberly. “But it’s okay, Shiv! You’ve got us, and we’re gonna make sure that Trench never gets to do it again,” he rallied.

You pulled back to smile at him gratefully. “Thank you, Wrecker,” you murmured, cupping his face in your hands and falling for his bright grin all over again. “No matter what happens, I’ll be okay as long as I have all of you.”

He leaned down, catching your lips in a kiss.

Your soft noise of pleased surprise was lost in his mouth, and you let your eyes close as you hummed contentedly. The way his arms flexed around you as he held you up surrounded you with warmth and safety, and you marveled again at the way he was able to control his strength so he didn’t hurt you. Wrecker usually was the one most likely to just grab you for a cuddling session, pulling you into his body and just holding you for comfort. His touch was soft compared to the rough callouses on his hands, a delicious contrast that you always melted into readily.

Even now, his thumbs rubbed over your waist as he happily kissed you, mouth slanting over yours again and again. It wasn’t lost on you the way you could feel his cock steadily hardening, pressed up against your stomach.

“Mm— Wreck,” you murmured between his kisses, eyelashes fluttering. “Have you been needy this whole time?” Amusement curled in you as you realized that he might have been needy for the whole mission.

“Well, no— I mean, I was worried about you,” he protested. Then he took one look at your face and sighed. “Well, maybe. A little. Yeah,” he admitted.

You laughed a little, shaking your head at him. “It’s okay, Wrecker.” You brushed your nose against his in a butterfly kiss.

His eyes lit up. “Can I taste you, then, Shiv?” he asked eagerly.

You blinked. “Taste-?” Did he want to eat you out?

“Yeah! I really wanna taste you. Tech and Hunter said you tasted really good, and I really wanna try,” he blurted. “Can I?”

You flushed, then smiled shyly. “If that’s what you want, of course.”

He grinned. “Hold on, then!” He hefted you up.

You gasped as he propped your legs up on his shoulders, his hands clamping over your thighs and holding you securely atop his shoulders. Your back was pressed against the fresher wall as you tried to find purchase on something, anything.

“Oh-! Wrecker—“

 But he just laughed, barely moving. His eyes stared up at you playfully. “You’re really tiny, Shiv,” he teased, his hands squeezing your thighs. “Cute.” He turned his head and pressed a kiss to your inner thigh, his mouth warm and sending a different sort of heat coursing straight through you.

You whimpered, biting your lip as you wondered desperately how you were going to survive this one. Wrecker looked far too excited for this to end in any other way than you becoming an absolute mess. He’d already done the unexpected by asking to eat you out, so you wondered what else he’d surprise you with.

Without warning, he licked a stripe up your core. The back of your head hit the wall, your lips parting in a strangled gasp. His mouth was hot against you, and his tongue confidently laved against you in ways that made you want to squirm.

Wrecker abruptly closed his mouth over your core and started to eat you out as though he were begging for his life. His mouth was sloppy, but the way his callouses rasped against your thigh and the way his groan vibrated against you had you going weak. His name fell from your lips in a breathless moan. He pushed you against the wall, his face all but buried between your legs.

“Taste so good, Shiv,” he groaned.

Your hand smacked against the wall, fingers digging against it as though it would somehow give you some sort of support. Your legs were starting to tremble already, toes curling and heels pressing into his back. His mouth felt so good, his tongue moving against you as though all he wanted was to keep drinking you in like you were his favorite flavor.

His eye flickered up to look at you. “Good, Shiv?” he asked, checking. Something about his tone and the look in his eye made you remember the last time you were in the fresher with him, his shuddering moan the moment your fingers brushed against his nipple and the thought that had flitted through your mind.

So you turned lust-drugged eyes on him and reached one hand back above your head, bracing against the wall. Your other hand slid down to trail down the side of his face.

“You’re so good, Wrecker,” you moaned. “So good to me— such a good boy,” you breathed.

Wrecker’s eyes widened, and you watched him visibly swallow. Without another word, his mouth locked onto you again as he somehow doubled his efforts.

You barely had a moment to revel in your correct deduction before your brain completely lost focus of everything but his mouth working against you. A hint of desperation laced his movements, as though he were working for something. For more? And despite the way your legs were trembling and thoughts kept slipping through your mental fingers like water, you wanted to give him what he wanted. The praise he deserved.

“You’re so strong— Wrecker,” you half-sobbed out, whimpering as the pleasure sparked through you with every curl of his tongue. “So strong, so good. Ah— I love how you touch me— your hands are so big and strong and I—“ it was more of a confession than you’d intended, but the way Wrecker moaned against you encouraged you to continue. “Hn—“ you gasped, “Oh, more, please, Wrecker, you’re such a good, big boy—“

Wrecker growled against you, his thick lips sucking your clit between his teeth.

The coil inside you snapped, your back arching against the wall as your hips pushed forward. His name fell from your lips, over and over, as you rode out the orgasm that burst from inside you like a shower of sparks. It was warm and heady, Wrecker’s hands clamping your thighs to his shoulders and holding you open for his mouth as he let you ride out the high, prolonging it. He gave you one last lick before pulling back, head tilting up toward you.

Completely weak, you whimpered and let out a soft, dizzy whine. It didn’t help to see his head tilted up toward you as he drank you in, his lips and chin slick with you. Panting softly, you curled your fingers around his ear, brushing lightly down his jaw, his chin, his neck.

“D-down, Wrecker— the heat is— making me lightheaded,” you gasped.

“Oh, right!” But he slid his hands up and instead hooked his elbows under your knees, bringing you back down to his eye level so your back slid against the wall. He leaned down and caught your mouth in an innocently happy kiss as though his cock wasn’t currently pressed right up against your core as he spread your legs open.

Your hands flew to his shoulders for support as you gasped against his lips, feeling him buck up against you, nudging against your sensitive clit.

“Did I do good, Shiv?” he almost whined it against your mouth, his head bending down to tuck against your neck.

Smiling a little at the way the dynamic had shifted compared to last time, you hummed and stroked down his chest. “So good, love,” you praised, turning your head to tenderly kiss the scarred side of his face. “Is that what you wanted, baby boy?” you cooed, fingers teasing against his skin.

He nodded, breathing heavy against your skin as he rutted up against you.

“Ohh, is my baby boy needy?” You breathed a soft laugh against his ear. “Does my big, strong boy want to feel good, now? Is that what you want?” you purred.

“Please,” Wrecker groaned, lifting his head to stare at you desperately with clouded eyes. “Please, want it—“

You cupped his face. “Mm, want to stretch me open for you?” Though you felt a little surprised at yourself for the filthy words, the way Wrecker was staring at you made you want to see more of that expression on his face. “You’re such a good boy, Wrecker,” you purred. “I think you deserve to feel so good, huh?”

He jerked his head in a nod, beginning to lose control and project over your Bond. A jumbled mess of desperation, need, want, pleasure, lust, love, affection crashed over you, lighting your body up with warmth like a sunbeam.

You hummed, pressing a kiss to his chin. “My good boy, Wrecker,” you murmured against his jaw. “I love you so much, Sunshine.”

You weren’t sure where the endearment came from, but judging by the way Wrecker moaned and started to push into you, he appreciated it. His thoughts started spilling over the Bond, tumbling over each other, half-finished and slurred.

Shiv— pretty, so pretty, so tiny and kind— wanna be good for Shiv— good boy for her, fight real good... so tight and good, ah— called me Sunshine, gotta— gotta be a good boy, gotta deserve—

You sank your teeth into your lip as he split you open, hard and thick. The way he pressed you against the wall, hunched over you and shuddering as he completely bottomed out inside you, your clit flush against his hip, made you arch your back. Your chest pressed against his, your hands grasping at his shoulders as you let out a soft, utterly pleased moan. The way Wrecker stretched you open and pressed up inside you and made you shudder and sting with pleasure had you mentally swearing that he’d ruined you for anyone else that claimed to “be packing.” He curved up just enough to find that spot inside you that almost had you crying.

Shuddering, you tried to focus. Right now, it was about Wrecker, not you. Your poor boy clearly desperately wanted relief, especially judging by how he throbbed inside you, pulsing with need. Sliding your hand down his chest, you teased your fingers against his nipple.

His chest heaved, and he let out a low, almost helpless moan. “S-Shiv, cyare,” he whined.

“You’re being such a good boy, Sunshine,” you praised, giving him a soft kiss. “Is this what you wanted? Filling me up like this? Having your way with me?” you teased a little, unable to help yourself. Not when he peeled open drugged eyes only to stare down at the way he was outlined under your skin, bulging inside of you. His hips jerked against you as he moaned.

“Please— can I— Shiv, please,” his pleading stumbled from his mouth, his eyes glazing over as he panted.

Your thumbs rolled over his nipples. “Promise me one thing first.”

He nodded hard, his fingers wrapping around your chest just under your breasts, your legs still slung over his arms.

“You have to cum in my mouth, okay? Can you do that for me, Wrecker?” you asked tenderly.

He nodded, starting to thrust up into you. “Y-Yeah, I’ll— I’ll be good, Shiv, I promise,” he stammered, his hips already moving sloppily with the edge of his desperation.

“I know you will,” you cooed, rolling his nipple between your fingers.

His head dropped onto your shoulder, panting against your skin as he continued to thrust up into you, moaning. He was so close that it didn’t take long before his hips were stuttering, his moans getting ragged. With a tortured groan, he pulled out of you.

You slid down to the floor of the fresher as he sagged against the wall, legs spread as he stared down at you with glazed eyes. Your hands wrapped around him, and you licked his tip a few times before pressing your lips to the head of his cock. His hips faltered for a moment as you opened your mouth around him, sucking at his head.

“Ah— cyare, gonna—“

You hummed, brushing hair behind your ear. You could feel the way he stretched your mouth open, knowing your jaw would ache later with a satisfaction you’d relish. Your tongue had barely swirled around his tip before he let out a hoarse shout.

Wrecker’s cum burst on your tongue, unbelievably thick. He definitely tasted of salt with an undertone of bitter and sweet, quickly filling up your mouth until you had to pull away, letting him splash all over your throat and chest. It covered your chest with thick strands, dripping down your skin.

Wrecker groaned, sliding down the wall. He ended up on his knees, still hunched over you as he panted, slowly coming down from his high.

Fascinated, you tilted your head and reached up to your chest. Your fingers sank into the thick cum splattered all over you, smearing it over your skin. You swallowed the cum in your mouth, lifting your fingers to your lips and licking them clean.

Wrecker’s hand slid onto your waist, fingers wrapping around your hip as he panted. “F-feels g-good,” he panted.

You looked up at him, then smiled. “Is that what you wanted?” you asked softly.

He nodded dumbly, staring at you with an infatuated adoration that made you blush. “Was I good for you, Shiv?”

You giggled, brushing your fingers against his cheek. “The best boy, Wrecker,” you promised. “I love you so much.”

He bent, kissing you, pulling you closer to him. He kissed you for a little while, calming from his orgasm.

“Wrecker, I need to clean up,” you murmured after a moment.

He sighed, then nodded and stood, lifting you up. “Thank you, cyare,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around you and pressing a kiss to the back of your shoulder.

You just gave him a smile over your shoulder. He helped you clean up, gently washing your hair and dragging his fingers over your scalp. You ended up getting out of the shower first, drying yourself off and pulling on fresh underwear. You sat down and started to dry your hair as Wrecker got out, turning off the water.

Grabbing your clothes, you wrapped the towel around your hips like a skirt and opened the door. Cool air rushed into the muggy fresher, and you turned to see Wrecker pulling his blacks on.

“Hey Shiv, can I brush your hair?” Wrecker asked, turning to you and holding up your brush.

You nodded. “I’m going to go to the common room, coming?”

He followed after you, his armor stacked in his helmet under his arm and holding the brush. You laughed as you walked into the common room, listening to Wrecker as he enthused about being able to use the battle gloves. Hunter and Crosshair were already sitting in the common room, and they looked up as you entered.

You nodded at Wrecker, setting down your clothes and letting the towel around your waist drop. Reaching for your pants, you shimmied into them and grabbed the towel, drying your hair a little more. Shaking your head, you pulled on the black shirt and grabbed the other gear.

Wrecker sat down on a chair, and you sat between his legs. He continued to chatter away, his hands carefully starting to pull your hair back. Smiling faintly as he gingerly started to brush your hair, you pulled your leg up and started to slide on the harnesses that attached to your belt. You’d instantly grabbed the harnesses when you saw them, knowing that they’d come in handy for small gadgets or medical supplies.

Wrecker was starting to figure out how to brush your hair as he went along, his strokes becoming more confident. “Oh— and Shiv, you should have seen the way you flew across the air! It was a great distraction cause the droids all stared and it was easy to blast them away!”

You had to giggle at the memory. “I don’t even know how it happened,” you admitted, buckling the harness and starting on the other side. “Oh,” you noticed with some surprise as you tugged at the belt. “I think you left some new bruises, Wrecker,” you said, poking at the dark fingerprints.

He paused, peering over your shoulder. “Oh... sorry,” he said sheepishly.

You just laughed it off, pulling the other harness up your leg. “No it’s fine, I just didn’t think I’d bruise that easily.”

He resumed brushing your hair. “Your hair is really soft,” he said, tugging it through his fingers.

You hooked the harness onto the belt and bent to grab your boots. “Thanks, Sunshine,” you chirped, popping back up as you tugged the boots on. Tilting your head back to look at him, you gave him a smile.

He grinned back. “Does this mean I get to brush your hair again next time?”

You laughed, standing up. “Sure, if you want.” Looking down, you turned and tried to look at your new combat suit. “How does this look?” you asked. “I needed a new one, and I thought the harnesses were a good idea so I can store things. Plus, this one is comfortable.”

“Looks great, Shiv,” Hunter said from his seat, arms crossed over his chest.

You turned to him, beaming. “You think so?”

“Yeah, you look really hot, Shiv!” Wrecker said bluntly.

You blinked, then snorted, covering your mouth with your hand. “Never change, Wrecker,” you giggled, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“He’s not wrong,” Hunter said, raising an eyebrow.

You smiled shyly. “Thanks.” Then you turned to Cross, pointing to the buckle on the neck of your shirt. “Is this okay? I don’t want it to distract you if I’m in astral form.”

“It’s not a buckle that’s distracting, cod’ika,” Cross drawled, amusement in his eyes as he shifted the toothpick between his teeth.

You pouted at them. “Fine then. I’m gonna go ask Tech what he thinks,” you said, turning to flounce away.

Hunter’s hand caught your wrist, pulling you back to tug you into his lap. “And leave us all alone, mesh’la?”

You rolled your eyes at him, but tucked yourself against his shoulder anyway. “You’re all ridiculous,” you sighed.

“Ridiculous, and yours,” he said, kissing your temple.

You smiled and closed your eyes, soaking in the warmth as Wrecker laughed and Cross grumbled. Yes. They were ridiculous, and they were yours... and you were theirs.

You wouldn’t want it any other way.

Chapter 13: The Bad Batch

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