#death to the false emperor
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
fuck it, night lords chaos terminator with power sword and combi-bolter
#warhammer 40k#wargaming#warhammer 40000#warhammercommunity#death to the false emperor#chaos#khorne#nurgle#slaanesh#tzeentch#night lords#thousand sons#word bearers#world eaters#death guard#emperors children#iron warriors#alpha legion#sons of horus#ultramarines#raven guard#wh 40k#40k#chaos space marines#konrad curze#jago sevatarion#sevatar#anarchist#anarchism#sigmarxism
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
Current progress on another guy, he’s a model in my Chosen unit (with a possessed helmet because of thematics)
#warhammer#warhammer 40k#40k#mini painting#space marines painting#space marine#chaos space marines#warhammer painting#my art#death to the false emperor#boy what that hand-mouth do
34 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hi hi!
Bit of a late update (though there’s not been a regular update in months)
But we’re working away slowly at the Chaos Marines at my desk!
I’m currently finishing up on this old Thousand Sons sorcerer to lead my Rubric Marine squad
But I’ve recently finished up on a few Chaos Lords and Sorcerers as well.
That brings my total so far this year to 13 finished models - not quite as many as I wanted, but still not bad.
Next up is this old Nurgle boy (I do love my plague marines)
Back to the painting desk! Hopefully I can keep up the progress
#warhammer40k#warhammercommunity#paintingwarhammer#painting miniatures#oldhammer#chaosspacemarines#death to the false emperor#tzeentch#nurgle#thousand sons#plague marines
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Book couples x Taylor Swift songs
Lover - Part 2
Track 2 - Cruel Summer is PoppyAlex from People We Meet on Vacation (or You and Me on Vacation for the Brits) by Emily Henry. I think this one is pretty obvious : vacation, summer vibes and an upbeat song for a feel good friends-to-lovers contemporary romance book ! I love Emily Henry and even if this is not my favorite book of hers, these two are very cute !
Track 10 - Death By a Thousand Cuts is TellaLegend from the Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber. I think this song is kind of perfect for these two : not wanting to say goodbye like at the end of Legendary from both of them ! Still writing pages for a story over feels very Finale with its almost-ending and true-ending, and love cutting like it hurt them both in Finale :) (art by @/artsiidaisy on Instagram)
Track 11 - London Boy is HudsonGrace from the Crave series by Tracy Wolff. Not going to lie they are the first couple that I think of when I think about a British boy, maybe because of how many times it was mentioned 😭 This series may not be my favorite, but it’s funny and I still like it (in the way you like an old series that you read when you were a kid), and the couple is actually really cute ! (Art : @/_jadee.art on Instagram)
Track 12 - Soon You’ll Get Better is HeronGrayStairs from the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (⚠️Spoilers⚠️). This is not a romantic song, but it represent the three of them pretty well at different point in the series : when Will thought he lost Jem in CP, when Tessa and Jem lost Will in the CP epilogue (I cried so much omg 😭) and, I have a feeling, when Tessa will lose Jem at the end of his life. It’s not funny at all but well 😭 (art : @/giannyfili on Instagram)
Track 13 - False God is DanteAmara from the Darkverse series by Runyx. I feel the way this man WORSHIPS the ground Amara walks is a pretty good representation of this song ; and I’m almost sure he talks about her being his goddess at one point in the book, so. False God it is.
Part 3 coming soon :) Tell me if you have suggestions !
#caraval#the infernal devices#herongraystairs#tessa gray#will herondale#jem carstairs#soon you’ll get better#cruel summer#people we meet on vacation#the emperor#dante maroni#amara#tella dragna#tellalegend#finale#legendary#london boy#death by a thousand cuts#legend#false god
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Don’t call me selfish, I ain’t sharing. You’re mine.
I can’t get this man out of my head.
Geta hated sharing.
He’s already done his fair share of it throughout most of his life, whether it’d be Rome, the throne, it seemed that the only curse that the gods had placed upon him was the curse to share many -if not all- aspects of life with Caracalla. A curse he once thought strong enough to brace the burden of, only to fall short when he finds that he can’t have something without Caracalla having a share of it too, a endless burden that he swore was going to be the death of him sooner or later; only to be remembered as the cruel emperor who shared everything with his brother who was -ironically- also a cruel and ruthless emperor.
Gets desired something of his own so deeply and almost to the point of desperation that once he has found you, he was quick to cling onto you however he could in anyway he could just so fate didn’t conspire against him in the off chance he’d be forced to share you as well; something he wasn’t too keen on have happen because hadn’t he given enough for the gods and the people of Rome to warrant a reward? Or were the gods still playing another trick on him and guiding him towards a false sense of security with you, only for it to be soon revealed that he was once again played the fool by them for their amusement.
However Geta’s hatred towards sharing didn’t stop at his brother but other people also. He didn’t like the idea of people getting to close to what wasn’t theirs to within close proximity in the first place, and while jealously is a strong emotion, what Geta felt went beyond jealously. It was possessiveness and an unhealthy obsessiveness that consumed his thoughts and his heart alike with ideas of keeping you within the palace, locked away in places only he knew and only his eyes could see you.
The idea was tempting but Geta was forced to discard it as soon enough people would ask questions of you situation, possibly to just spread mindlessly rumours that he had done something to you, possibly even killed you. So Geta was made to watch from afar as people flocked to you as his grip on his drink was the tightest it ever was, his jaw clenching in silent and unbridled rage that only gotten worse and worse whenever someone brushed your hand by accident or let their hands linger too long on your shoulders.
The feelings within his chest raged on like an underfed beast and his mind was poisoned to believe that anyone within the room with you both was more than capable of taking you away from him, and he couldn’t exactly have that, not when it felt like his nerves were on fire and his restlessness has begun to take over a with the urge to keep you by his side; showing everyone that you were very much taken by the man who held their fate within one hand and the gods judgment in the other.
So while the gods had cursed Geta with the necessity to share, the gods cursed you to deal with Geta and his possessive hands that gripped your waist as a way to calm his soul, to remind him that he did have you and that nothing could alter that reality; not that anyone dared try without being killed on the spot for trying to take what rightly belong to the emperor of Rome. It was a look that was unbecoming of him but then again Geta wore possessiveness and obsessiveness as finely as he wore silk clothing.
‘My dearest must you always look upon others with eyes filled with the influence of envy? You’re the emperor, what could they possibly possess to threaten you?’ You asked Geta one day when it was just the two of you after Geta had dragged you by the wrist away from an older man and elsewhere.
‘He were looking at you with lustful eyes only I am allowed to express towards you.’ Geta starts, ‘he sought to take you away from me as though you aren’t already mine, that or the idea of stealing what’s rightfully mine entices such men into becoming bold creatures, viewing others who are tethered to another all the more enticing.’ He finishes as he lets go of your wrist to possessively hold your face within one of his hands. His eyes held a fire within them that would burnt anyone within vicinity, making them flinch away in fear, but you have grown accustomed to such a gaze to know it came from a place of hidden fears and insecurities that he wasn’t afforded the privilege to feel as freely nor safely as you.
You only smiled softly as you reached to hold his face between your hands, watching as his gaze faltered for something more softer and sweeter, as he nuzzles himself against your palm. ‘Geta,’ you say softly as you drew him close, resting your forehead against his own, ‘such a thing would never happen when my heart is happily yours, besides you’d have them slain for such even bruising a single finger against my skin.’ You kiss his lips, hearing him sigh deeply once you pulled away, feeling as his hand that hand moved to your neck began to caress the pulse point there softly, almost observant of his it reacts to him before you continued.
‘My heart and soul were crafted by the gods to love yours, for now unto eternity and even beyond that for we are intertwined my dearest Geta, and should such a creature who dares to call himself a man act against such knowledge is going against the will of the gods.’ You finished as you searched his dark, rich eyes in hopes that your words had soothed some part of his possessiveness away for something more palatable. You knew this to be truth so why couldn’t he? Many people were too fearful to look you in the eyes directly some of the times in due to who you were fated with, and even those who were bold enough to speak to you were members of his court or his brother Caracalla.
‘Your honeyed words are balms to my heart.’ Geta says, his head now clear of all that once clouded it mere moments prior as a smile now graced his lips. ‘Some might believe you a witch with how you calm me.’ He teases as his hand squeezed your neck ever so slightly before his thumb came back to caress your pulse once more as his eyes took in every aspect of you now that the anger and possessiveness has faded from view, leaving only you to be seen clearly within his peripherals that softened as the light made his dark eyes look akin to that of warm golden syrup.
‘They can call me whatever they wish but they can never call me theirs like you can my emperor.’ You replied as you smiled softly at him, glad to have the man that you were privy to behind closed doors come back to you. ‘However I do have to say that your possessiveness was quite…enticing in and of itself in retrospect.’ You then add playfully as you eased his hand from your neck to kiss his knuckles. ‘Now will you come join me in the garden or do you have somewhere else in mind you’d wish to take this discussion further?’
Geta made a face of thought before smirking as he then intertwined your fingers and lead you towards your shared chambers. ‘That should be quite self explanatory my beloved, after all what I’m about to do to you should be all too reminiscent of the prior events of last nights…mishap.’ He tells you and needless to say neither of you left your chambers for the rest of the day or night for that matter.
#emperor geta imagines#emperor geta imagine#emperor geta x y/n#emperor geta x you#emperor geta x reader#geta x you#geta x reader#Geta imagine#Geta imagines
652 notes
·
View notes
Text
belittling the reign
synopsis: the people began to doubt Geta, and in return, so did members of the senate. The emperor began to act wildly, his temper just a reach away. It all came crashing down when a man of the senate brought the empress up and how she would fall with the emperor.
pairing: Emperor geta / empress! reader
Warnings: Violence, anger, choking, death. Protectiveness/Possessive.
The room was dim, save for the flicker of torchlight dancing across the stone walls. Geta sat at the long table, his goblet half-full, eyes fixed on the dull gleam of his dagger. He had been deep in thought, tired from the endless political maneuvering of the Senate, when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his silence.
The door creaked open, and a figure entered—Marcus, a senator known for his sharp tongue and sharper ambitions. Geta didn’t look up as the man approached, choosing instead to swirl the dark wine in his cup.
“Geta,” Marcus began, his voice oozing with false politeness. “I trust you’re well this evening.”
Geta grunted in response, not bothering to hide his disdain. He knew this man all too well—his visits were never without some form of scheming. Marcus circled the room slowly, his fingers tracing the edge of the table as he moved closer.
“You know, it’s funny,” Marcus continued, his tone casual, though laced with something more sinister. “There’s been a lot of talk in the streets lately. The citizens are starting to wonder how much longer Rome will have to bear the burden of a violent ruler.” The man let out a chuckle, it reverberated through the room and Geta swore his fingers shook with an emitting anger.
The emperor’s eyes flicked upward for the first time, meeting Marcus’s gaze with a steely intensity. The senator smiled, a smirk dancing on his lips as he leaned against the table, arms crossed.
“They say,” Marcus went on, “that there will soon be a new emperor. A man who leads not with blood, but with wisdom. One who doesn’t lose himself to rage every time a senator dares to speak out. The people... they’re excited, Geta. They’re waiting for the day Rome is free of your wrath… Maybe Caracalla would be a better fit?”
Geta’s grip tightened on the goblet, the muscles in his arm tensing as he fought to contain his growing anger. “You tread on dangerous ground, Marcus,” he warned, his voice low and cold.
Breath in. Breath out. Remember your wife, the sweet laugh, those little dimples that littered your face when he told a good story.
But Marcus was undeterred. He leaned in closer, his breath hot and smug as he whispered, “Perhaps you’re the one who should be careful. People don’t fear you anymore, Geta. They’re waiting for your death. And when it comes, oh how they’ll cheer. Finally, a ruler worthy of the Empire will take your place.”
A dark laugh escaped Marcus’s lips, but it was quickly cut off by Geta’s sudden movement. In a flash, the emperor had risen from his seat, standing tall over the senator. Marcus stiffened, but continued, confidence seemed to block the mans rational fears. “What will your pretty little wife do when you’re gone, I wonder? Maybe she’ll find solace in someone with real power.”
That was the last mistake.
Geta’s fury ignited like a wildfire, burning through every shred of control he had left. Before Marcus could react, Geta’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around the man’s throat. The senator’s eyes widened in shock as he gasped for breath, his hands clawing uselessly at Geta’s iron grip.
“You dare threaten my wife?” Geta growled, his voice trembling with rage. His face was twisted in a snarl, the veins in his neck bulging as he squeezed tighter. “You think you can speak to me of death? Speak to me of weakness?” He spat the words with venom, his grip tightening as Marcus’s face turned pale, then purple.
The senator’s eyes bulged, and his mouth opened and closed in silent pleas for mercy, but Geta’s rage was far beyond words now. He lifted Marcus off the ground, the senator’s feet dangling as he struggled weakly. The torchlight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls as Geta’s expression darkened with each passing second.
“You thought you could replace me? With my own brother?!” Geta whispered, leaning in close to the dying man’s ear. “There will be no one else, dear Marcus. I am Rome, hm? I. Am. Rome.”
Marcus’s body jerked one last time, and then he went still. Geta held him there for a moment longer, the senator’s lifeless eyes staring into nothingness, before finally letting the body fall to the ground with a heavy thud.
The room was silent, save for the sound of Geta’s ragged breathing. He stood over Marcus’s corpse, his chest rising and falling with the aftershocks of his rage. Slowly, he lowered his hand, twisting and turning the jeweled rings around his fingers while wiping the sweat from his brow. His gaze dropped to the dead man at his feet, his heart still pounding in his chest, though calmer now.
A twisted calm, one born of violence.
“Threatening my liege. My Wife,” Geta muttered to himself, stepping over Marcus’s body as he made his way toward the door. “They will all burn before I leave the throne.”
-
The hallways were dimly lit, the flickering flames of the torches casting long, distorted shadows along the stone walls. Geta’s breathing was still ragged, his pulse pounding in his ears as he moved through the empty corridors. His hands, still tingling with the memory of squeezing the life out of Marcus, twitched at his sides. Sweat clung to his brow, slicking his skin and making his tunic stick to his chest.
He could feel the weight of what he had done. The senator’s limp body, the satisfaction that had come when his struggles ceased. It was a different kind of battle—one where no soldier could see him, and no one could speak of it.
Yet, the thrill of victory felt different this time. It wasn’t the fight he was used to. He wasn’t on the battlefield, brandishing his sword, earning the respect of his men. This victory had been personal, quiet... but more satisfying than he could have imagined. Marcus had been wrong—there would be no new ruler. Not while Geta breathed.
He thought of the senators who whispered behind closed doors, plotting to strip him of his power. He thought of the citizens who questioned his rule, who had dared to entertain the idea of another emperor, a more peaceful one. And now he thought of those who might still move against him. They had made one fatal error—they underestimated his resolve, his willingness to do whatever was necessary to protect what was his. He had been lenient for too long.
His footsteps echoed in the silence as he neared the door to his chambers. The weight of his actions, the violence he was still capable of, burned beneath his skin, but as he pushed open the heavy wooden door, the tension seemed to soften.
There, lying in the massive bed, was his wife—your form draped in blankets, the soft rise and fall of your chest showing the example of a peaceful slumber. You were so.. completely unaware of what he had just done, unaware of the thoughts that now consumed him.
Geta stood in the doorway for a moment, simply watching. His wife had been the one constant in his life, the anchor to his rage. You had calmed him when no one else could.
His breath still came in short bursts, his chest tight with the remnants of his fury. Slowly, he approached the bed, his legs heavy beneath him as if the weight of the world had finally caught up with him. He collapsed beside you, the bed creaking under his weight. He was slick with sweat, the heat of the earlier confrontation still radiating from his body. He exhaled deeply, his muscles sagging as he sunk into the mattress.
His wife stirred slightly, your hand brushing against his arm as she mumbled something incoherent in sleep. Your touch was soft, gentle—so unlike the violence that had consumed him only moments before. For a moment, Geta considered waking you, telling just what had transpired, but no. You didn’t need to know about the bloodshed, the threat to their life. You didn’t need to carry the burden of his thoughts.
But in the stillness of the night, with his wife sleeping so peacefully beside him, his mind churned with plans. He would not be overthrown. He would not be replaced by anyone who dared to dream of ruling Rome in his stead. Geta would seek out the usurpers, one by one. He would find every senator, every noble, every conspirator who dared question his rule, and he would deal with them the same way he dealt with Marcus. There would be no mercy.
His wife shifted again, pressing closer to him, your hand now resting on his chest, and for a brief moment, the thoughts of violence faded. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her warmth, the way your perfect body curved against his.
But even as his breath steadied and exhaustion began to pull him into sleep, one thought remained clear in his mind: no one would threaten his reign. No one would ever threaten you again.
And when the time came to deal with the rest of them, Geta knew, deep down, he would not hesitate. Rome was his. And he would destroy anyone who thought otherwise.
#x reader#fanfiction#gladiator x reader#gladiator ii#gladiator#gladiator 2#emperor geta x you#emperor geta x reader#geta#geta x you#geta x reader#joseph quinn x reader#joseph quinn#joe quinn#movie
942 notes
·
View notes
Text
Looks like the forces of the Warmaster have swept the Golden Demon!
Golden Demon Winners 2024 - Horus Heresy Category
282 notes
·
View notes
Text
pairing: emperor caracalla x fem!reader
author's notes: i'm in love with him, your honor
part 1
the throne room of the twin emperors was a place where decisions of life and death were made with a flick of a wrist, its magnificence designed to intimidate and impress. massive marble columns stretched to a vaulted ceiling painted with constellations, while golden chandeliers cast a warm glow over the cold, intricate mosaics covering the floor. at the center of the room stood two identical thrones, one for each emperor, their backs adorned with gilded eagles clutching laurel wreaths.
it was here that you were brought, flanked by soldiers who led you through the imposing bronze doors. you entered with your head held high, your foreign features and proud demeanor immediately drawing attention from everyone. courtiers whispered among themselves, the rumors of your curse swirling in the air like smoke.
caracalla sat on the left throne, his body slouched lazily but his sharp eyes gleaming with intrigue. his tunic was dark red, a bold contrast to the opulence around him, and his fingers drummed idly on the armrest. he looked every bit like the predator you had heard about, his lips curling into a faint smirk as he watched you approach.
geta, seated to his brother’s right, was more composed. his posture was rigid, his expression unreadable, but his gaze was no less intense. dressed in white and gold, he exuded authority and calculation, his mind clearly assessing you like a piece on a chessboard.
the guard captain bowed deeply before addressing the emperors. “great caesars, this is the captive of whom the rumors speak—the woman said to be cursed by venus herself.”
caracalla leaned forward, his interest piqued. “the infamous venus’ wraith. i was expecting... more chains,” he quipped, his voice laced with amusement.
you met his gaze without flinching, your defiance palpable. “perhaps you should have brought more, if you think I need them.”
the room fell silent. gasps rippled through the courtiers, and even the guards stiffened at her insolence.
geta raised an eyebrow, his lips pressing into a thin line. “bold words for a captive,” he said, his tone icy. “do you not understand where you stand, foreigner?”
“i understand perfectly,” you replied evenly, your voice carrying through the vast room. “i stand before men who believe themselves gods but bleed like mortals.”
caracalla laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber. “i like her,” he said, casting a sidelong glance at his brother. “she speaks with the confidence of someone who doesn’t fear death.”
your jaw tightened, but you said nothing.
caracalla rose from his throne, descending the steps with a languid grace. he stopped just a few feet from you, his dark eyes gleaming with curiosity and amusement. “they say any man who dares to love you meets a tragic end,” he said, circling you, reminding you a lion sizing up its prey. “tell me, venus’ wraith, do you believe this curse is real?”
your voice was steady, though a flicker of pain crossed your features. “what i believe is irrelevant. the gods enjoy their games, whether we believe in them or not.”
caracalla’s smirk widened. “i don’t fear curses. or gods.”
“that makes one of us,” you replied with a sharp tone.
geta rose from his throne, his movements deliberate and commanding. “brother, don’t let your amusement cloud your judgment. if the stories are true, keeping her here could be dangerous—not just for us, but for rome.”
“and if the stories are false?” caracalla countered, turning to face him. “what better way to disprove them than to bring her into our court?”
the two brothers locked eyes, their rivalry simmering beneath the surface. you could practically see gears turning in emperor geta's head, after a couple second with the twins staring at each other geta sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “it... would be good for rome's fame when the word spreads and the other lands find out we have the infamous venus' wraith here... do as you will. but if this said ‘curse’ brings trouble, it will be your burden to bear since you so adamantly want to keep her."
but that wasn’t all, was it? you saw the shine on geta's eyes while thinking about his brother’s proposition, he came to a conclusion… but you were sure emperor geta would keep that to himself until time’s right, he’s that kind of ruler, no one ever knew what geta was planning to do until he already did it and by the rumors you heard before being held captive it almost always envolved someone with a knife on their backs… literally and figuratively.
caracalla turned back to you, a wolfish grin on his face. “you’ll serve me,” he declared. “you’ll dine with the court and entertain us with your wit. let’s see if this curse of yours has any bite.”
your gaze hardened, but you did not resist as the guards escorted you out of the throne room.
you whispered eerily while being taken away.
"good luck then"
caracalla watched your retreating figure, a flicker of fascination sparking in his chest, ignoring your words.
geta returned to his throne, his expression dark. “you’re playing with fire, brother,” he warned.
caracalla only chuckled, his eyes still fixed on the doors through which you had disappeared. “perhaps. but, as you are very aware brother, i’ve always liked the burn.”
you expected to be brought to a regular cell, a place fitting for a prisoner such as yourself, a dirty prison made for those who the emperors deemed less than nothing, undeserving to have at least the minimum a human should have to survive unscarred, both mentally and physically, a place with little to no sunlight, no bed, only the hard cold floor as a place to rest, and food not nearly enough for a small person to survive making them start to think that the rats running around looked appetizing.
you had accepted this was your fate when the emperors decided to keep you in the palace.
after all the deaths you caused, maybe you even deserve it.
but to your surprise you were brought to the top floor of the castle, a place truly fit for royalty and royalty alone.
the marble halls shimmer in the golden glow of torchlight, with intricate mosaics depicting the victories of rome lining the floors and walls. massive columns of polished ivory and black stone support the vaulted ceilings, painted with celestial imagery to reflect the gods’ favor. every corner of this level exudes grandeur, a constant reminder of the emperors' divine authority.
‘a bit egotistical in my opinion’ you thought ‘but beautiful nonetheless’
while being escorted to one of the three rooms on that floor you tried to think of an actual reason for them to keep there. did emperor caracalla really mean it when he alluded to wanting an opportunity to test their powers against the will of the gods? what about emperor geta with the odd glint in his eyes the more he thought about his brother’s idea to make you live in the palace, you wish you knew what both of them are thinking. were you a spectacle for the court? a new deadly weapon in their arsenal? political strategy? just plain and simple curiosity? all the above?
too many variables for you to get even close to a conclusion.
but one thing you knew for sure, they’ll regret it… just like everybody else.
when the guards opened the double doors of your newest room you were left in awe, staring at the large room with your mouth wide open and eyes shining brightly as if you were a kid looking at their newest gift at saturnalia, it was something you expected in a palace but still, you never thought that one day you would be able to see it let alone live in it.
the centerpiece of the room is a grand canopy bed, draped in layers of silken fabric dyed deep purple and gold, your hands delicately touch the frame, intricately carved with motifs of laurel wreaths and mythical creatures, you recognized the two sirens in the middle of the bed and a phoenix in between them, you turned around seeing tall, arched windows, framed by heavy velvet curtains, opening them left you with a breathtaking view of the city below and the distant hills.
it was perfect.
now that you were finally left alone your stoic facade got replaced by a huge smile, you jumped on the bed, happy to finally be able to sleep on an actual soft bed instead of the hard ones you were used to in hotels you stayed, having to change every other week when people find out you were venus’ wraith.
you didn’t want to think about your past or variables and possibilities like you always had since you discovered your curse, you also didn’t want to try and guess what the emperors were thinking, get inside their heads, you had a feeling you weren’t gonna like there.
you let yourself enjoy, at least for a little bit, the comfort of this tiny piece of your new life, after a long time just feeling ashamed for something that was out of your control, feeling those awful thoughts leave your mind you fell asleep.
after the heavy doors of the throne room groaned shut behind you, the space was left eerily silent in your absence. caracalla leaned back in his gilded throne, the lion motifs carved into the armrests glinting faintly in the dim light of the torches. his fingers tapped an idle rhythm against the polished wood as a crooked smile played on his lips.
“she is… unlike anyone we’ve met before,” he mused, his voice low and carrying a trace of amusement. “bold enough to speak plainly, yet clever enough to know her place.”
geta, seated in the larger throne beside him, steepled his fingers, his expression unreadable. the cold silver embroidery of his tunic seemed to match the detached tone of his voice. “boldness can be dangerous. it breeds unpredictability.”
caracalla turned his head slightly, his piercing gaze narrowing on his brother. “and yet, unpredictability is what makes her intriguing, isn’t it? someone who defies tradition, dares to enter our halls, and yet does not cower. i see why the city speaks of her in hushed tones. do you think she feels the thrill of having someone’s life in her hands for something as simple as falling in love?”
geta’s lips tightened into a thin line, his dark eyes fixed on the flickering flames of the brazier. “intriguing or not, thrilling or not, she is still an outsider. a foreigner. her presence here invites gossip, and gossip can lead to dissent. we already walk a thin line with the senate.”
caracalla could be many things, bloodthirsty, a monster, impulsive, the list goes on… but on the contrary of many think, he wasn’t stupid, of course because of his disease his mind gets cloudy every once in a while, but right now his mind was as clear as crystal, he knew his brother wasn’t telling the whole truth, maybe he wasn’t even telling the truth in the first place.
but it wasn’t worth it to confront him, geta would only antagonize him, making him believe it was all in his head, his mind would be foggy and confused, making him act and feel insane like everyone believes him to be.
perhaps they were right.
but right now caracalla wanted nothing fogging his mind, especially when it was full of you.
caracalla waved a dismissive hand, the ruby on his ring catching the firelight as he smirked. “let them talk. let them wonder. she is no threat to us here.” his voice dropped, taking on a darker edge. “unless, of course, you plan to fall in love with her.”
geta’s gaze snapped to his brother, his composure unwavering but his tone sharp. “i am not the reckless one here. whatever amusement you find in her will not distract me from what’s supposed to be our duty to rome.”
caracalla laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber like a predator’s growl. “oh, come now, brother. you see the potential as clearly as i do. imagine her in the court, an exotic symbol of rome’s dominion over even the most defiant.”
maybe if he pushed a little geta would open up about his plans, once in his life he would trust caracalla with something, anything, but of course that didn’t happen.
geta remained silent, keeping his thoughts behind the usual cold and calculating facade.
caracalla’s smirk faded, and for a fleeting moment, something unreadable flickered in his eyes. then he leaned back again facing away from his brother.
well, it isn’t like he’s telling the whole truth as well.
the tension between them lingered like smoke in the air, unspoken truths and unacknowledged fears weaving an invisible web.
#gladiator#gladiator 2#gladiator ii#gladiator movie#emperor caracalla#caracalla x reader#emperor caracalla x reader#Spotify
264 notes
·
View notes
Text
hello guys, i hope everyone is doing as good as possible!
todays topic: a prominent spirit guide in your life
close your eyes and let your intuition guide you while choosing a pile. you could feel drawn to more than one. only take what resonates. this is meant for entertainment purposes only.
art by Sydney Lawrence
Pile 1
💠about your guide💠
cards: butterfly (rx), elf, four of pentacles, king of pentacles (rx)
hi guys, so you’re guide has a difficult time getting through to you or to connect with you. they seem a little frustrated because of that. the have a more masculine energy to them. because the earth element is very present here i think, that even through their frustration they remain patient and grounded when it comes to you. they’re mainly here to spark a transformation in you and guide you through change but it does seem like you aren’t a hundred percent ready for their presence yet. the colours orange and red are prominent here, they want to light that fire inside you and inspire you. they also want to challenge you. they haven’t reached their full power hence their full impact on your life yet since you’re struggling to let them in. if you do though, you’ll feel their presence and their impact on your life strongly. when prominent, they aren’t easy to miss. they also seem a little stubborn so they’ll wait for you as long as it takes and will remain persistent.
💠messages from them💠
cards: emperor (rx), two of pentacles (rx), ten of swords
i think you carry some unhealthy masculine energy in you (mind you this has nothing to do with gender) which is really interesting and also makes a lot of sense as to why your spirit guide carries a more masculine energy themselves. they’re here to teach you how to use and embrace it in a natural and healthy way. you could very well struggle with an „my way are the highway“ attitude and refuse to budge. they want to teach you how to listen and think about how your actions might affect others. you have the choice, the power to decide how you’re gonna move forward. are you ready to let go of these negative patterns in your behaviour? they may seem more comfortable than facing yourself and the inevitable change but are they going to benefit you in the long run? its okay to be scared and insecure but that’s why your spirit guide is here. they`ll help you through your ego death because that is what you’re going to face. just know: if you succeed, those destructive thoughts and patterns will no longer hold you hostage. this cycle will finally be over and will lead to the new emergence of your soul, possibilities and a new narrative. the number four as well as animals with horns could be direct signs and symbols sent by them to you.
hope it resonates, stay safe!! 🖤
Pile 2
💠about your guide💠
cards: bat (rx), kraken (rx), nine of wans (rx), six of wands (rx),
hello pile 2! your guide has a very dark energy to them but that doesn’t mean they’re bad or anything like that. they seem to prefer the dark so maybe they’re most prominent after sundown and could appear in your dreams as well. they’re very attached to you and very protective. their energy feels very brooding but also fiery. the colours black, dark pink and red are most representing for them. their presence in your life is here because they want to help you to let go of the past. you seem to be clinging to what you know and what brings you a false sense of comfort and they’re here to help you through that. since you seem very afraid you’re blocking them out a lot. this could be another reason they mainly try to reach you at night/through your dreams. they have an adventurous personality and want to spark this within in you too. they’re not afraid to wander into the unknown,and rather thrive in it actually. with them by your side you’re urged to embrace fearlessness and to let go of what no longer serves you. rainbows are coming through as well, this represents what is waiting for you when you decide to trust and follow them into the uncertain. if some of you believe in gods or even deities, your guide could also function as some kind of messenger.
💠messages from them💠
cards: ace of pentacles (rx), queen of cups (rx), eight of wands (rx)
wow so just as before all your cards came out in reverse which isn’t necessarily a bad thing though in your case it’s not a good one. the three cards i pulled also flipped out all at once, couldn’t even really shuffle once. your guide is really desperate to talk to you and get their message across. dear people, i`m really not judging but by god you’re blocking yourself and your growth so damn hard and it truly leaves me a little speechless. man, i feel for your guide. you refuse to allow something natural and new to emerge. probably ignoring signs and omens as well. there’s basically this gateway of your desires and wishes waiting for you but you’re walking the other way. what hurts most to see though is how unhappy you actually are in your current situation and like i`m just the messenger, for your guide it must be brutal to watch. you seem to have some harsh emotional wounds. it looks like you think and feel like in order to „get rid of them“ you can’t move on to something completely alien to you but moving on and out of this energy is the only way to truly heal. not taking action is still an action. reflect and think: what holds you back? what action can you take? what intentions can you set right now? your guide also wants you to remember: what you put out into the world will return to you. i know this was probably hard to read but your guide really means well. you’re not alone, they’re just waiting for you to take and accept their hand and lead you through that magical gate with endless possibilities on the other side.
hope it resonates, stay safe!! 🖤
Pile 3
💠about your guide💠
cards: earthworm (rx), phoenix, three of wands (rx), five of cups
hello pile three! your guide is very careful in their way of connecting to you as they don’t want to overwhelm you. they have a very bright and colourful energy to them and seem to be very pleased by you. they’ve been by your side for a while and helped you through the hard times you recently had to face. many of you have dealt with a great loss and are still grieving. know that they grieve with you and that they try to give you as much comfort as possible. they care about you a lot. they don’t want to push or pressure you too much but they’re still a little impatient since they can’t wait to see you really flourish. your spirit is here to guide your through your big transformation, they aren’t represented by the phoenix for nothing. they have this special and all consuming spark to them that’ll infect everyone they’re connected to. their energy and influence are revitalising. it could be possible for you to see this spark reflect in your own eyes. they of course feel and share your anxiety of what’s to come but its more so out of excitement. they’re still very sure of themselves, as well as of you of course. accepting your past, then letting go and preparing your for your new set is their main purpose.
💠messages from them💠
cards: the sun, ace of wands (rx), four of pentacles
you’re still unsure of how to embrace this transformation. well, get comfortable darling because the universe has your back. the time to doubt yourself was yesterday, step into and embrace the confidence that waits to be unlocked. it might take some time to fully get used to this and its alright to be overwhelmed at times. your guide wants you to know that you have nothing to fear, nothing to hide. you’re unfolding who you are and what you’re capable of. growth and expansion are in store for you. you’ll see and experience your hearts desires unfolding. you’ll shine in the center of your universe. they’re saying that an eternal sun will warm you, obviously more so in a spiritual sense. they also want you to accept the help of others and to allow them to provide for you when you need it. always remember: what you need is at hand and even if you should lose sight of it, the universe is conspiring to help you. they’re also saying well done ;)
hope it resonates, stay safe!! 🖤
#divination#pac reading#pick a card reading#tarot reading#tarot community#pick a card#pick a pile#pick a pile reading#spirituality#free tarot readings#witchcraft#pac tarot#tarot card reading#tarotblr#tarot blog
319 notes
·
View notes
Text
fuck it, night lords chaos terminator with power sword and combi-bolter
#warhammer 40k#wargaming#warhammer 40000#warhammercommunity#death to the false emperor#chaos#khorne#nurgle#slaanesh#tzeentch#night lords#thousand sons#word bearers#world eaters#death guard#emperors children#iron warriors#alpha legion#sons of horus#ultramarines#raven guard#wh 40k#40k#chaos space marines#konrad curze#jago sevatarion#sevatar#anarchist#anarchism#sigmarxism
26 notes
·
View notes
Text
Oh yeah I finished that guy from earlier
I really like the way this skin looks with the purple undertone
#csm possessed#chaos space marines#warhammer#warhammer 40k#40k#mini painting#space marines painting#chaos#CHAOS WINS CHAOS WINS CHAOS WINS#RRAAAAHHHH#death to the false emperor#and all that
37 notes
·
View notes
Text
Never would have guessed that Dianne Feinstein was secretly the Emperor of Man sitting atop their golden throne/life support system.
Source
Source
Source
This story grows increasingly unhinged
#in which case: death to the false emperor.#let chaos take the world#for real though: there should be a hard limit. you hit the national age of retirement: congrats! you no longer have/get to be a senator.
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
THE ROSES OF HELIOGABALUS /1888/ by LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA
Elagabalus reigned as the Roman emperor from 218 to 222 A.D. before being murdered at the age of 18. His rule was marked by scandal and excess, even by those living at the same time. Elagabalus is often cited as one of the most unfavourable Roman emperors in history.
This painting portrays the probably false account of Roman emperor Elagabalus, or Heliogabalus, hosting a lavish banquet where he adorned his guests with flowers. As per historical accounts in the Augustan History, guests were showered with flowers from artificial ceilings.
The tale tells of a large amount of flowers dropping from the ceiling and forming such a high pile that a few guests were actually smothered and suffocated to death. Elagabalus is visible observing the scene in the background, positioned second from the left.
For added drama, Alma-Tadema chose to portray all the flowers as roses. During the winter, Alma-Tadema had roses brought from the French Riviera to his studio for four months while painting this piece to make sure the roses were accurately portrayed.
373 notes
·
View notes
Text
There have been 82 Doctors at this point!
Keep reading line because the list is so damn long.
Main Continuum
(In order of appearance)
Classic Who
First Doctor (William Hartnell 1963 – 1966, Richard Hurdnall 1983, David Bradley 2017, 2022)
Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton 1966 – 1969)
Third Doctor (John Pertwee 1970 – 1974)
Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker 1974 – 1981)
Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson 1981 – 1984)
Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker 1984 – 1986)
Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy 1987 – 1989)
Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann 1996 movie)
Nu Who
Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston 2005)
Tenth Doctor (David Tennant 2005 – 2010)
Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith 2010 – 2013)
The War Doctor (John Hurt 2013)
Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi 2013 – 2017)
Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker 2017 – 2022)
Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant 2023)
Fifteenth Doctor (Ncutu Gatwa 2023 - ?)
Pre - Memory Doctors
(Timeless child my beloathed)
Morbius Doctors (Robert Holmes, Graeme Harper, Douglas Camfield, Philip Hinchcliffe, Christopher Baker, Robert Banks Stewart, George Gallaccio and Christopher Barry 1976)
The Other (Sylvester McCoy, 1990)
The Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin 2020)
The Timeless Child(ren) (TBA, Grace Nettle, Leo Tang, Jac Jones, TBA, Jesse Deyi 2020)
Brendan (Evan McCabe 2020)
Possible Future Doctors
(italicized parts of names are the title of that Doctor's first appearance, if I can't find a better name)
Father of Time (No Actor, 1987)
"Merlin" or The Battlefield Doctor (No actor, 1991)
The Army of Shadows Doctor (No actor, 1991)
"Fred" (No actor, 1993)
The Relic (no actor 1997, 2002)
The Storytelling Doctor (Tom Baker 1999)
The Web of Caves Future Doctor (Mark Gatiss, 1999)
The Blue Angel Future Doctor (No Actor, 1999)
The Curator 1 (Tom Baker, 2013)
The Curator 2 (Collin Baker, 2022)
Pseudo-Doctors
The Watcher (Adrian Gibbs 1981)
The Valyard (Michael Jayston 1986)
The Obverse Eight Doctor (No actor, 1999)
The Metacrisis Doctor (David Tennant 2008)
The DoctorDonna (Catherine Tait 2008)
The Dream Lord (Tony Jones 2010)
The Ganger Doctor (Matt Smith 2011)
The Spriggan (David Tennant 2022)
Alternate Realities
Dalek Films
Dr. Who (Peter Cushing 1965, 1966)
The Inferno Universe
The Leader (Jack Kine, 1970)
Doctor Who and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday
The Doctor (Trevor Martin 1974)
Previous Doctor (Nocholas Briggs 2008)
The Lenny Henry Show
The Seventh Doctor (Lenny Henry 1986)
What If?
The Eighth Doctor (No actor, 1997)
The Infinity Doctors
The Infinity Doctor (No actor, 1998)
The Curse of Fatal Death
The Doctor (Rowan Atkinsen 1999)
The Quite Handsom Doctor (Richard E Grant 1999)
The Shy Doctor (Jim Briadbent 1999)
The Handsom Doctor (Hugh Grant 1999)
The Female Doctor (Joanna Lumley 1999)
The Chronicles of Doctor Who?
The Doctor (no actor, 2000)
Klein's Story
Johann Schmidt (Paul McGann, 2010)
Father Time
The Emperor (No actor, 2001)
Scream of the Shalka
The 9th Doctor (Richard E Grant 2003)
Doctor Who Unbound
The Doctor (Geoffrey Bayldon 2003)
The Unbound Doctor (David Warner 2003)
The Heartless Doctor (David Collings 2003)
The New Heartless Doctor (Ian Brooker 2003)
Martin Bannister (Derek Jacobi 2003)
The Victorious Valyard (Michael Jayston 2003)
The Previous Doctor (Nicholas Briggs 2003)
The Exile Doctor (Arabella Weir 2003)
The Warrior (Collin Baker 2022)
Gallifrey - Disassembled
Lord Burner (Collin Baker 2011)
Gallifrey - Regenerators
Commentater Theta Sigma (Collin Baker, 2011)
False Negative
The Doctor (No actor, 2017)
The People Made of Smoke
The Sixth Doctor (Dan Starkey, 2020)
Unspecified Doctors
Yeah sometimes they just say "The Doctor" and don't bother specifying...
The Cabinet of Light Doctor (No Actor, 2003)
The Dalek Factor Doctor (No actor, 2004)
688 notes
·
View notes
Text
Demon-haunted computers are back, baby
Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.
As a science fiction writer, I am professionally irritated by a lot of sf movies. Not only do those writers get paid a lot more than I do, they insist on including things like "self-destruct" buttons on the bridges of their starships.
Look, I get it. When the evil empire is closing in on your flagship with its secret transdimensional technology, it's important that you keep those secrets out of the emperor's hand. An irrevocable self-destruct switch there on the bridge gets the job done! (It has to be irrevocable, otherwise the baddies'll just swarm the bridge and toggle it off).
But c'mon. If there's a facility built into your spaceship that causes it to explode no matter what the people on the bridge do, that is also a pretty big security risk! What if the bad guy figures out how to hijack the measure that – by design – the people who depend on the spaceship as a matter of life and death can't detect or override?
I mean, sure, you can try to simplify that self-destruct system to make it easier to audit and assure yourself that it doesn't have any bugs in it, but remember Schneier's Law: anyone can design a security system that works so well that they themselves can't think of a flaw in it. That doesn't mean you've made a security system that works – only that you've made a security system that works on people stupider than you.
I know it's weird to be worried about realism in movies that pretend we will ever find a practical means to visit other star systems and shuttle back and forth between them (which we are very, very unlikely to do):
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/09/astrobezzle/#send-robots-instead
But this kind of foolishness galls me. It galls me even more when it happens in the real world of technology design, which is why I've spent the past quarter-century being very cross about Digital Rights Management in general, and trusted computing in particular.
It all starts in 2002, when a team from Microsoft visited our offices at EFF to tell us about this new thing they'd dreamed up called "trusted computing":
https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/05/trusting-trust/#thompsons-devil
The big idea was to stick a second computer inside your computer, a very secure little co-processor, that you couldn't access directly, let alone reprogram or interfere with. As far as this "trusted platform module" was concerned, you were the enemy. The "trust" in trusted computing was about other people being able to trust your computer, even if they didn't trust you.
So that little TPM would do all kinds of cute tricks. It could observe and produce a cryptographically signed manifest of the entire boot-chain of your computer, which was meant to be an unforgeable certificate attesting to which kind of computer you were running and what software you were running on it. That meant that programs on other computers could decide whether to talk to your computer based on whether they agreed with your choices about which code to run.
This process, called "remote attestation," is generally billed as a way to identify and block computers that have been compromised by malware, or to identify gamers who are running cheats and refuse to play with them. But inevitably it turns into a way to refuse service to computers that have privacy blockers turned on, or are running stream-ripping software, or whose owners are blocking ads:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai
After all, a system that treats the device's owner as an adversary is a natural ally for the owner's other, human adversaries. The rubric for treating the owner as an adversary focuses on the way that users can be fooled by bad people with bad programs. If your computer gets taken over by malicious software, that malware might intercept queries from your antivirus program and send it false data that lulls it into thinking your computer is fine, even as your private data is being plundered and your system is being used to launch malware attacks on others.
These separate, non-user-accessible, non-updateable secure systems serve a nubs of certainty, a remote fortress that observes and faithfully reports on the interior workings of your computer. This separate system can't be user-modifiable or field-updateable, because then malicious software could impersonate the user and disable the security chip.
It's true that compromised computers are a real and terrifying problem. Your computer is privy to your most intimate secrets and an attacker who can turn it against you can harm you in untold ways. But the widespread redesign of out computers to treat us as their enemies gives rise to a range of completely predictable and – I would argue – even worse harms. Building computers that treat their owners as untrusted parties is a system that works well, but fails badly.
First of all, there are the ways that trusted computing is designed to hurt you. The most reliable way to enshittify something is to supply it over a computer that runs programs you can't alter, and that rats you out to third parties if you run counter-programs that disenshittify the service you're using. That's how we get inkjet printers that refuse to use perfectly good third-party ink and cars that refuse to accept perfectly good engine repairs if they are performed by third-party mechanics:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon
It's how we get cursed devices and appliances, from the juicer that won't squeeze third-party juice to the insulin pump that won't connect to a third-party continuous glucose monitor:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/
But trusted computing doesn't just create an opaque veil between your computer and the programs you use to inspect and control it. Trusted computing creates a no-go zone where programs can change their behavior based on whether they think they're being observed.
The most prominent example of this is Dieselgate, where auto manufacturers murdered hundreds of people by gimmicking their cars to emit illegal amount of NOX. Key to Dieselgate was a program that sought to determine whether it was being observed by regulators (it checked for the telltale signs of the standard test-suite) and changed its behavior to color within the lines.
Software that is seeking to harm the owner of the device that's running it must be able to detect when it is being run inside a simulation, a test-suite, a virtual machine, or any other hallucinatory virtual world. Just as Descartes couldn't know whether anything was real until he assured himself that he could trust his senses, malware is always questing to discover whether it is running in the real universe, or in a simulation created by a wicked god:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/28/descartes-was-an-optimist/#uh-oh
That's why mobile malware uses clever gambits like periodically checking for readings from your device's accelerometer, on the theory that a virtual mobile phone running on a security researcher's test bench won't have the fidelity to generate plausible jiggles to match the real data that comes from a phone in your pocket:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/google-play-malware-used-phones-motion-sensors-to-conceal-itself/
Sometimes this backfires in absolutely delightful ways. When the Wannacry ransomware was holding the world hostage, the security researcher Marcus Hutchins noticed that its code made reference to a very weird website: iuqerfsodp9ifjaposdfjhgosurijfaewrwergwea.com. Hutchins stood up a website at that address and every Wannacry-infection in the world went instantly dormant:
https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/10/flintstone-delano-roosevelt/#the-matrix
It turns out that Wannacry's authors were using that ferkakte URL the same way that mobile malware authors were using accelerometer readings – to fulfill Descartes' imperative to distinguish the Matrix from reality. The malware authors knew that security researchers often ran malicious code inside sandboxes that answered every network query with fake data in hopes of eliciting responses that could be analyzed for weaknesses. So the Wannacry worm would periodically poll this nonexistent website and, if it got an answer, it would assume that it was being monitored by a security researcher and it would retreat to an encrypted blob, ceasing to operate lest it give intelligence to the enemy. When Hutchins put a webserver up at iuqerfsodp9ifjaposdfjhgosurijfaewrwergwea.com, every Wannacry instance in the world was instantly convinced that it was running on an enemy's simulator and withdrew into sulky hibernation.
The arms race to distinguish simulation from reality is critical and the stakes only get higher by the day. Malware abounds, even as our devices grow more intimately woven through our lives. We put our bodies into computers – cars, buildings – and computers inside our bodies. We absolutely want our computers to be able to faithfully convey what's going on inside them.
But we keep running as hard as we can in the opposite direction, leaning harder into secure computing models built on subsystems in our computers that treat us as the threat. Take UEFI, the ubiquitous security system that observes your computer's boot process, halting it if it sees something it doesn't approve of. On the one hand, this has made installing GNU/Linux and other alternative OSes vastly harder across a wide variety of devices. This means that when a vendor end-of-lifes a gadget, no one can make an alternative OS for it, so off the landfill it goes.
It doesn't help that UEFI – and other trusted computing modules – are covered by Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which makes it a felony to publish information that can bypass or weaken the system. The threat of a five-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine means that UEFI and other trusted computing systems are understudied, leaving them festering with longstanding bugs:
https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/09/free-sample/#que-viva
Here's where it gets really bad. If an attacker can get inside UEFI, they can run malicious software that – by design – no program running on our computers can detect or block. That badware is running in "Ring -1" – a zone of privilege that overrides the operating system itself.
Here's the bad news: UEFI malware has already been detected in the wild:
https://securelist.com/cosmicstrand-uefi-firmware-rootkit/106973/
And here's the worst news: researchers have just identified another exploitable UEFI bug, dubbed Pixiefail:
https://blog.quarkslab.com/pixiefail-nine-vulnerabilities-in-tianocores-edk-ii-ipv6-network-stack.html
Writing in Ars Technica, Dan Goodin breaks down Pixiefail, describing how anyone on the same LAN as a vulnerable computer can infect its firmware:
https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/01/new-uefi-vulnerabilities-send-firmware-devs-across-an-entire-ecosystem-scrambling/
That vulnerability extends to computers in a data-center where the attacker has a cloud computing instance. PXE – the system that Pixiefail attacks – isn't widely used in home or office environments, but it's very common in data-centers.
Again, once a computer is exploited with Pixiefail, software running on that computer can't detect or delete the Pixiefail code. When the compromised computer is queried by the operating system, Pixiefail undetectably lies to the OS. "Hey, OS, does this drive have a file called 'pixiefail?'" "Nope." "Hey, OS, are you running a process called 'pixiefail?'" "Nope."
This is a self-destruct switch that's been compromised by the enemy, and which no one on the bridge can de-activate – by design. It's not the first time this has happened, and it won't be the last.
There are models for helping your computer bust out of the Matrix. Back in 2016, Edward Snowden and bunnie Huang prototyped and published source code and schematics for an "introspection engine":
https://assets.pubpub.org/aacpjrja/AgainstTheLaw-CounteringLawfulAbusesofDigitalSurveillance.pdf
This is a single-board computer that lives in an ultraslim shim that you slide between your iPhone's mainboard and its case, leaving a ribbon cable poking out of the SIM slot. This connects to a case that has its own OLED display. The board has leads that physically contact each of the network interfaces on the phone, conveying any data they transit to the screen so that you can observe the data your phone is sending without having to trust your phone.
(I liked this gadget so much that I included it as a major plot point in my 2020 novel Attack Surface, the third book in the Little Brother series):
https://craphound.com/attacksurface/
We don't have to cede control over our devices in order to secure them. Indeed, we can't ever secure them unless we can control them. Self-destruct switches don't belong on the bridge of your spaceship, and trusted computing modules don't belong in your devices.
I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/17/descartes-delenda-est/#self-destruct-sequence-initiated
Image: Mike (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/stillwellmike/15676883261/
CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
#pluralistic#uefi#owner override#user override#jailbreaking#dmca 1201#schneiers law#descartes#nub of certainty#self-destruct button#trusted computing#secure enclaves#drm#ngscb#next generation secure computing base#palladium#pixiefail#infosec
576 notes
·
View notes
Text
HERMITS AND THE OLYMPIANS MASTERPOST (07/31/2024)
------------------
Hermits and The Olympians/Emperors of Olympus is a Hermitcraft/Empires SMP based Percy Jackson AU based off my art and headcanons!
(Please do not use the tags for other PJO AUs as I use them to specifically label what's based off mine.)
------------------
Seperated by art/doodles, headcanons/discussion, fanfics:
# 1 MUMBO PORTRAIT # 2 GRIAN, PEARL, SCAR & MUMBO ART # 3 HaTO FAN CREATION GUIDELINES # 4 GEM, CLEO, DOC PORTRAITS # 5 ETHO & BDUBS THANK YOU CARD # 6 STRESSMONSTER THANK YOU CARD # 7 CAMP EMPIRES FIRST APPEARANCE; BAD BOYS DOODLE # 8 OUTDATED CAMPERS GODLY PARENT SUMMARY # 9 CHIBI MUMBO THANK YOU CARD # 10 GRIAN CLOSE UP # 10.5 WATCHERS CAMEO??? # 11 BDUBS & SCAR; DEMETER CABIN'S HONORARY CAMPER # 12 RENDOG PORTRAIT # 13 MUMSCARIAN / RE: AU SHIPS # 14 IS THERE A CANON PLOT? Answer: I stick with what is canon to me, but I do not force others to follow so. As I am too lazy to do an actual plot. # 15 CHIBI STRESS & MUMBO # 16 BDUBS..? # 17 ETHO PORTRAIT / 1ST AU FICLET # 18 I JUST THINK THEATER KID ARES KID REN IS FUNNY # 19 JOEL AND LIZZIE; SOULMATES IN EVERY UNIVERSE # 20 ORACLE GEM...? # 21 oh snappers! (LOW QUALITY ETHO DOODLE) # 22 AT THIS POINT, DIONYSUS, ARES, AND APOLLO SHOULD FIGHT TO THE DEATH TO SEE WHO GETS CUSTODY OF REN # 23 SKIZZ & IMPULSE PORTRAITS / HEADCANONS # 24 ZEDAPH PORTRAIT
# 25 Camp Oracle’s Journal; Hermits and The Olympians # 26 GRIAN - THE DEATHLY ACTIVITIES MANAGER # 27 ISKALL & TANGO PORTRAITS # 28 KERALIS & XISUMA'S PERSONALLY MADE CAMP PIN # 29 I REALLY LIKE MAKING FUN OF REN /AFFE # 30 I ALSO REALLY LIKE INCLUDING MARTYN INTO THE MIX /AFFE
# 31 TREEBARK ARE MY BOYFAILURES # 32 RENDERED CAMP LOGOS (PNGS IN DISCORD SERVER) # 33 SHELBY & SCOTT PORTRAITS # 34 ETHUBS MY BELOVEDS :) # 35 INTRODUCING: GIGGS # 36 RE: CAMP EMPIRES AND CAMP HERMITCRAFT DOUBLES # 37 LET OLD MEN BOND LIKE OLD MEN (ETHO & TANGO) # 38 OFFICIAL HaTO DISCORD SERVER ANNOUNCEMENT # 39 MYTHICALSAUSAGE PORTRAIT # 40 XISUMA PORTRAIT # 41 HaTO FIRST COMIC SHITPOST # 42 FALSE, KERALIS, & BEEF PORTRAITS # 43 WELS & HYPNO PORTRAITS # 44 MUMSCARIAN FIRST MEETING DOODLE # 45 WHY IS WELS AN ATHENA KID? # 46 HOW IS GEM THE ORACLE # 47 HaTO SECOND COMIC SHITPOST (PRIDE MONTH) # 48 DESERT DUO ANIMATIC; INSPIRED BY BEAN'S TRAITOR SCAR FIC
# 49 MARTYN PORTRAIT / HEADCANONS # 50 IF SCAR WERE TO BE APHRODITE'S.... # 51 REN VS JARS # 52 LIZZIE PORTRAIT # 53 HaTO SCAR & GEM EMOTES # 54 HaTO CHIBIS BOUQUET DOODLE # 55 GRIAN AND HIS SON # 56 KATHERINE ELIZABETH PORTRAIT # 57 MUMSCARIAN MATCHING ICONS FOR PRIDE # 58 HOW ARE YEAR ROUNDERS GETTING EDUCATION? # 59 SHINY DUO MATCHING ICONS # 60 AROACE PEARL (PRIDE MONTH) # 61 BISEXUAL CLEO (PRIDE MONTH) # 62 CAMP CUDDLE SESSIONS # 63 TREEBARK COMEBACK # 64 When Does a Man Become a Monster?; Hermits and The Olympians
# 65 BOAT BOYS MATCHING ICONS # 66 WHAT DOIN'? CAMP HERMITCRAFT EDITION # 67 "I'M A CHILD OF DIVORCE" GESTURES TO ETHUBS # 68 MORE ETHUBS HEADCANONS CUS IM GAY AND SO ARE THEY # 69 DO NOT ANGER THE NON-ZOMBIE WOMAN, MR. ETHO # 70 NATURE WIVES # 71 I COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HEPHAESTUS CABIN'S ABILITIES # 72 TREEBARK MATCHING ICONS # 73 OLI PORTRAIT & HEADCANONS # 74 IT'S NOT ME IF THERE'S NO ETHUBS # 75 WELCOME TO HERMITCRAFT: GRIAN TEXT ADVENTURE # 76 GEM'S ORACLE CAVE TOUR
#77 THE BOYS (+ GEM) GO SHOPPING FOR SUITS #78 PEARL CHARACTER CARD #79 Camper Files; Hermits and The Olympians #80 STRESS PORTRAIT #81 CUBFAN PORTRAIT #82 FWHIP PORTRAIT
#83 PIXLRIFFS PORTRAIT #84 RANCHERS #85 WHY DO I HAVE SO MUCH TREEBARK IN MY INBOX? #86 IDK HOW SAD I'M SUPPOSED TO MAKE SCOTT #87 LONG TIME, NO NATURE WIVES? #88 AREN'T WE ALL A LITTLE SILLY FOR GRIAN SOMETIMES? #89 I HOPE YOU ALL KNOW I JUST BE SAYING ANYTHING ATP
# SECOND MASTERPOST LINK
OTHER HaTO Related Links:
HaTO Roleplay Blogs Masterpost by gem-the-oracle HaTO Archive of Our Own Series HaTO Discord Server
#Hermits and The Olympians#Emperors of Olympus#hermitcraft#hermitcraft au#hermitcraft fanart#hermitshipping#trafficshipping#Percy Jackson AU
300 notes
·
View notes