#industrial embedded projects

[emblogicsblog]

Project Based Training in System Programming

Project Based Training in System Programming is a hands-on approach that equips students with practical skills in the field, particularly for those aiming to excel in embedded systems and related areas. At our training institute in Delhi, we offer a structured 6-week industrial training program designed specifically for B.Tech students. This training provides both foundational knowledge and advanced skills in system programming, making it ideal for individuals aspiring to work in industries that rely heavily on embedded systems, including automotive, telecommunications, and consumer electronics.

Our training program emphasizes individual and industry-oriented projects to give students a real-world understanding of embedded systems. Through these projects, students work on developing skills in microcontroller programming, real-time operating systems, hardware interfacing, and system design. This practical focus ensures that participants are well-prepared to meet industry requirements, as they gain hands-on experience with the tools and techniques used by professionals.

The program is organized into a step-by-step learning path. Starting with basic embedded concepts, students progress through coding in C/C++, debugging, and working with microcontrollers like ARM and AVR. They also learn about Linux-based embedded systems, which are widely used in industry. Each module is accompanied by a relevant project that reinforces learning and builds students’ confidence in applying their skills to solve complex, real-world problems.

By the end of the training, students have a solid understanding of system programming and will gain a project portfolio to showcase their abilities to prospective employers. Our experienced trainers and well-equipped labs make this training highly effective and impactful. With a focus on practical knowledge and industry relevance, this 6-week training program is an excellent pathway for B.Tech students to step confidently into the embedded systems industry.

#6 Weeks project based industrial training noida, #project based industrial training, #Industrial training projects, #Six Weeks Industrial Training b tech, #Six Weeks Industrial Training Noida, #embedded projects training, #industrial embedded projects.

[volersystems]

Embarking on an electrical engineering project is a significant investment. Whether you're developing an innovative new device or refining an existing product, the process involves many intricate details that require expert input. That’s where your electrical design engineer comes in—they’re your guide, the expert who turns concepts into reality. But a great partnership goes beyond technical skill—it’s about communication.

Source - 10 Questions to Ask Your Electrical Design Engineer

[jmdbjk]

He didn't have to apologize again. He doesn't have anything to apologize for.

We've seen other idols having to do this seemingly unnecessary and overcompensating "sincere" apology before for other behavior deemed "normal" like having a boyfriend. Those are REALLY unnecessary apologies in my opinion.

Anecdote: I don't claim to understand completely but I do know, coming from my Asian heritage standpoint, the "honor" thing is a REAL embedded thing. Throughout my life, my Asian mother would make remarks about her friends' adult children or their spouses being "not good" and I never really understood the implications until well into my own adulthood. The judgmentalism is very embedded in Asian culture, at least it is in Japanese and Korean culture. I always brushed it off as Mom being too judgmental over nothing. She grew up in Japan. I grew up in America. We are different that way.

I can't get around it. You can't get around it. It is what it is. Is it slowly evolving out of Asian culture? Perhaps. I don't know. As I said, I'm American with my own embedded American attitudes.

What we can't deny is what Yoongi did was illegal. Perhaps considered a misdemeanor in other countries and inconsequential but obviously not so in South Korea. Yoongi had no choice but to post that handwritten letter of atonement because that is what is expected of someone in his position.

There are a lot of other people Yoongi is associated with: all the people at his company, the members, their families, the Korean companies that sponsor BTS projects or collaborate with them, his colleagues he works with and their associates, friends that we don't even know about, his family, his parents, all of these people he has to account for. So he made this public apology AGAIN, in a "proper" way, with a proper "sincere" handwritten letter, to preserve those relationships for the public's sake, to show respect to them. In private, we can only hope that he is making his way through this with the full support and love from all these same people.

There are a series of things that need to happen for Yoongi to move forward. Unfortunately, this letter was one of them. We might see a final police report soon. Hopefully it confirms everything we already knew. Or it might say things differently which we may want to disagree with but it will be FINAL. And it will be another step in this closure process.

He won't have to apologize like this again. He might apologize to us, his fans, again, but not in this way. He will process this the way he needs to in order to move forward.

I know we do not agree with the statement "it is their culture" and that is valid. Agree to disagree. But at this point in time, this is what he had to do to move forward. I respect his decisions on the actions he takes. He is the one living this hell in person. No one has the right to tell him what he needs to do or not do.

Hopefully at another point in time in the future, other public figures and celebrities will not need to go through these steps to regain any "lost honor". As Namjoon said, in their country, as advanced as it is, accelerated industrial growth comes with its own shadows. Societal and cultural growth is much slower to change.

I am going to respect how the members of BTS behave now regarding the general media in their country. If Hobi's discharge plays out just like Jin's, then that is their decision and I will abide by it. If Hobi chooses to stand and salute outside the gates of the base and wave to the cameras, I will respect his decision to do so. He will not be forced to do it. He served his country proudly and well and he earned the right to be able to publicly enjoy the personal satisfaction of doing so. If he decides to forgo that, I respect that too.

I am not expecting any member to say anything publicly individually. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Perhaps Jin and Hobi will say something together. Maybe not. I will never insist that they do in order to prove their support to ME.

If Hobi and Jin never say anything about Yoongi's incident, I will be fine with it. It is not my place to dictate how he, Jin or any of the other members should behave in this matter. This is between them. We did our part. I respect whatever decisions they make in handling the general media going forward. They are the ones living there, not us.

Some I-Armys want to riot in the streets in front of the Hybe building to vent their anger or to show their love and support and when they don't see it forthcoming from K-army, there is more frustration. Some vehemently disagree with letting this unfold without burning everything to the ground.

All eyes are on us. It is more important to be measured and cautious at this point than reactive and emotional. You can agree to disagree. We all have that choice. But right now, its more important to think about how everything we do affects Yoongi as he works to preserve his own emotional stability, his own personal and working relationships and less important are what OUR desires are. Our only desire should be that he is healing, he is moving forward with the love and support from those he is closest to.

He has seen our love pouring forth on Weverse and charting the music. He KNOWS we are here. Keep it going there, those are our two most visible means of communicating directly with him.

I trust Yoongi and his team. Now more than ever, trust him to be doing the right things for himself.

We are getting through this hell, one painfully slow step at a time. All we can do is keep walking with him until we see the other side together.

Apobangpo.

[mezzy-1]

Hi! Yes! I’m the ask! I’m very excited hehe. The 4 agents I chose for: Iso, Jett, Sage and Deadlock. If I had to describe the reader’s personality they’d be like private/reserved sort of very calm and an experienced fighter, reader could be fighting against the selected agents (sort of like how you did Nomad and their recruitment? I really like Nomad btw).

I unfortunately wasn’t able to find Acheron’s exact capabilities but I did decide on a basis for the reader’s abilities (Ice or snow) also I did find a few clips for reference:

https://youtu.be/l1Yw8r4F9W0?si=K-SiYUsK6Qi-v0dD

https://youtu.be/G2xiqsEoFDQ?si=R4VNy-oS_2fQ84qB

COLD RECEPTION // (VALORANT X READER)

Reader Profile//  SNOWFALL

Your status as a radiant made you stand out in the world, and your abilities terrified those around you.  The Scions of the Hourglass made a deal with you, they would train and care for you and you’d help maintain their secrecy.  Abandoning your lonely existence, you became a master of your ability over ice and did work for the Scions.  Soon, you began to doubt your allies and were assigned a Valorant agent to kill as a final test of loyalty.  

ISO 

There was a stillness in the air, brought on by a combination of the night and the cold that blew through the streets of a desolate industrial district

You waited outside with binoculars trained on the sidewalks, waiting for your target.  Deciding that your stakeout was taking too long, you looked over the dossier again

Li Zhao Yu, aka. Iso, defected from the Scions months ago to join an organization called Valorant.  His skills rivaled yours, and his power over radianite was strong too

The picture included didn’t match up with the face of a hardened killer though

Below you spotted something purple flash from the windows of an abandoned factory.  You narrowed your eyes and watched for more

Iso was locked in combat with a number of radiants.  If it wasn’t for the dossier you would've been shocked at how dangerous he was

He dropped each of the radiants one by one.  All the while, he maintained an air of calmness with each shot

He exited the building carrying some strange triangular device.  He put his finger to his ear and muttered something to an unknown receiver

Realizing he was calling in some kind of extraction, you put your plan into action and activated your radiance

Wind began to swirl around as frost collected on broken windows.  You pulled your knife from its sheath and let ice collect along the blade

Swinging the blade, you launched the collected frost towards Iso.  Your careful aim drove the ice spear into his shoulder

Leaping from your vantage point, you jumped from the building and slid down to street level.  You readed a pistol as you got to Iso

“You shouldn’t have left us,” you said, cocking the action back on your gun.  “People like you are one of a kind.”

“If you’re with the Scions, then don’t waste my time.  I work with Valorant now, and I washed my hands of those monsters.”

“They aren’t monsters, they saved me!  I was nothing before they came and trained me!”

“I read some files on you, Y/N.  You were missing for years and turned into a weapon for them.  They fear you, they only want to control you and use your power.”

“Is that what you think?  Is that why you left for some bullshit organization that pretends to care about you?  The Scions are my family now, and I won’t disappoint them.”

“Valorant would take care of you if you decide to come with me.  We can avoid this fight if you stand down.”

“I’d rather die than be a traitor like you.”

“...fine Y/N.  What happens now is on you.”  Iso grabbed the ice embedded in his shoulder and threw it to the ground

Taking your chance to shoot, you suddenly found yourself on the defensive.  Iso had reached for his Sheriff while removing the ice

Bullets almost reached your head as you took cover and blocked out the area with a sudden freezing mist

You heard a window break and ran after the sound, finding yourself inside an abandoned machine shop

With your first steps in, a bullet ricocheted off the wall behind you and sparks danced from the impact

As you moved farther in, more shots came from the darkness.  Iso was tired, injured, and had to hide

“Good.” you thought.  You began dropping the temperature around you while placing your knife in its sheath and charging it with cold

Iso’s breath was now visible from the frigid air.  He was hidden behind a hydraulic press and breathing quietly

You pulled the knife slowly from the sheath, letting ice condense onto it and extending it into a long icy blade

Silently, you moved about the shop.  Your footsteps were quiet from the stealth training you endured

As you moved towards Iso, violet hexagons crept underneath you and made contact.  You fell into the floor and were dropped into some strange realm

The dossier missed the fact that Iso could do this, because you were quickly disoriented by the rush of purple

“Y/N this is your last chance to stand down.  I’m not here to kill you, I want to leave that part of me in the past with the Scions.” echoed throughout the space

Iso appeared in front of you and you charged forwards with your blade, directly for his neck.  You sliced and crescent of frozen air spun towards his throat

He raised his hand and conjured a wall in front of him.  The ice slammed into the hardened tiles as you continued with your attack

Iso turned his wrist and pulled the trigger once.  The bullet went right for your head, and by closing the distance you were in even more danger

Suddenly you were back in the shop and Iso was in front of you

“Dui Bu Qi” he whispered before the world went dark around you

You awoke in a room lit by a single light and restrained in a chair.  Your head was sore and the room was almost spinning

“You’re finally up Y/N.  Hao de, we can finally talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, just kill me because I won’t tell you anything about the Scions!” you spat back

“I already have all the information I could ever want on them.  I don't need you to betray them for me.”

“You’re one to talk about betraying the Scions.”

“They won’t come to save you, now that they know you’ve been captured.  If anything they’ll either try and kill you or assume you’re dead.”

“No!  They’ll come for me, they’ll make you pay for taking me prisoner!”

“You were sent to kill me when I defected.”

Iso’s truth buried itself in a growing pit of despair in your stomach.  It was so obvious they would save you but something in you began to pull at that conviction

Tears streaked down your face and turned to snowflakes as they fell.  The realization that you would never have your life in order finally fell on you

A warm hand found its way onto your shoulder.  Iso’s palm met yours despite the freezing cold temperature

“Bie ku Y/N.  Don’t worry I know it looks lonely but you won’t be walking away from them alone.  I’m here for you if you need to talk.”

“They were everything to me, but they…they’d kill me just like they’d kill anyone.  Did I ever mean anything to them at all?” you asked already knowing the answer

“It doesn’t help to think of them right now, what matters is that Valorant will care about you.  We aren’t here to kill or control, we just want to do right.” 

You looked up and in your state your power began to escape.  You began to grow colder and shivered slightly

Iso took his hand off of you and began to unzip his jacket

He draped it over your shoulders

“Y/N, you’re freezing.”

“It happens when I’m worried, I think I’ll be fine.”  you tried to avert your eyes but couldn’t pull them from Iso

“Are you saying you want to join Valorant then?”  Iso leaned in towards you

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, but you’ve been so patient with me.  I feel horrible for what I tried to do, but you’re being kind and I want to repay that somehow.” 

“I’ll talk to my higher ups and get you a room at the HQ.  While we wait, we should find a way to keep you warm.  Do you drink tea?”

“Sure, what kind do you have?” 

Having tea with Iso was the first of many moments you shared with the assassin.  Both of you had your respective pasts entwined, but that only brought you closer

Eventually it became a routine, meeting with Iso and just talking for hours on end about whatever you both thought

Months later, you realized that Valorant had become a second home for you.  It was all thanks to Iso

[clara-the-independent]

Exclusive Interview with Ljudmila Vetrova- Inside Billionaire Nathaniel Thorne's Latest Venture

CLARA: I'm here with my friend Ljudmila Vetrova to talk about the newest venture of reclusive billionaire Nathaniel Thorne- GAMA. Ljudmila, could you let the readers in on the secret- what exactly is this mysterious project about?

LJUDMILA: Sure, Clara! As part of White City's regeneration programme, Nathaniel has teamed up with the Carlise Group to create a cutting-edge medical clinic like no other. Introducing GAMA– a private sanctuary for the discerning, offering not just top-notch medical care and luxurious amenities, but also treatments so innovative they push the envelope of medical science.

CLARA: Wow! Ljudmila, it sounds like GAMA is really taking a proactive approach to healthcare. But can you tell us a bit more about the cutting-edge technology behind this new clinic?

LJUDMILA: Of course! Now, GAMA is not just run by human professionals, it's also aided by an advanced AI system known as KAI – Kronstadt Artificial Intelligence. KAI is the guiding force behind every intricate detail of GAMA, handling everything from calling patients over the PA system to performing complex surgical procedures. Even the doors have a touch of ingenuity, with no keys required- as KAI simply detects the presence of an RFID chip embedded in the clothing of both patients and staff, allowing swift and secure access to the premises. With KAI at the helm, patients and staff alike benefit from streamlined care.

CLARA: A medical AI? That's incredible! I've heard much of the medical technology at GAMA was developed by Kronstadt Industries and the Ether Biotech Corporation, as a cross-disciplinary partnership to create life-saving technology. Is that true?

LJUDMILA: It sure is, Clara! During the COVID-19 pandemic, GAMA even had several departments dedicated to researching the virus, assisting in creating a vaccine with multiple companies. From doctors to nurses and administrative personnel, the team at GAMA is comprised of skilled individuals who are committed to providing the best care possible. All of the GAMA staff are highly educated with advanced degrees and have specialized training in their respective fields.

CLARA: Stunning! Speaking of the GAMA staff, rumors surrounding the hiring of doctors Pavel Frydel and Akane Akenawa have made headlines, with claims that they supposedly transplanted a liver infected with EHV, leading to the unfortunate demise of the patient shortly after. Such allegations might raise questions about the hospital's staff selection process and adherence to medical guidelines and ethical standards. Do you have any comment on these accusations, Ljudmila?

LJUDMILA: Er- well, Clara, the management of GAMA Hospital has vehemently denied all allegations of unethical practices and maintains that they uphold the highest standards of care for all patients. They state that they conduct thorough background checks on all staff members, including doctors, and that any individuals found to be involved in unethical practices are immediately removed from their position. The hospital has a strict code of ethics that all staff must adhere to, and any violations are taken very seriously. In response to the specific claims about the transplant procedure, GAMA states that they are investigating the matter in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

CLARA: Wonderful! I'm afraid that's all we have time for at the moment- lovely chatting with you again, Ljudmila!

@therealharrywatson @artofdeductionbysholmes @johnhwatsonblog

[dailyanarchistposts]

8

What is subsistence? Subsistence means committing to a place and the people who live there. It means generally getting food from your region because that is the geographical area that you understand and are familiar with and therefore you know when and how much of each item or animal is acceptable to gather or hunt.

Subsistence means fishing with friends. It means preserving food with others in your group or village or clan or whatever. Subsistence is getting together, voluntarily, with folks that you have an affinity with, to provide yourself with food and shelter and musical instruments and friendship.

Subsistence means abundance and balance, it means wildness and harmony at once. Subsistence is not an impoverished, depleted existence.

Time spent repairing the fishing nets or pickling vegetables or building a communal smokehouse isn’t alienated time. It is meaningful and joyous. In some places likely characterized by songs and mead, in others by quiet satisfaction. It means providing for yourself where you live.

Subsistence is participatory. It involves understanding your habitat and finding a healthy place within it.

Subsistence could be the bedrock upon which an anarchic culture’s ways rest on. It is the foundation of a healthy, independent, autonomous set ofliving practices, based on the cycles of the place where you live. Sense of place. Sensual wisdom.

This doesn’t mean that primal people don’t make mistakes. But overall, they rely on directly lived experience complimented by generations old wisdom to make their decisions.

Life in nature isn’t nasty brutish and short. This is a lie of the fearful and the fear mongers, of ruling classes set on the conquest of land-based people.

Subsistence means no or very little material waste: no dumpsites, no burning piles of garbage, no necessity of a recycling industry, and no mountains of appliances, gadgets and plastic. It is based in the natural cycles of your group’s land base. It means respecting nature where you live and all of the life forms that you share your habitat with, even the ones that are threatening to you, because we are all interconnected.

Subsistence isn’t about dumpster diving, scams, food banks, stealing and welfare cheques. Subsistence is directly participating in a collectivity’s future and thus ensuring your own.

For now, a group of five or ten folks acquiring food and shelter together is a form of surviving or pioneering. Fifteen or twenty people providing food and shelter for themselves, communally rearing their children, and generally taking care of each other is perhaps the ember of a clan, but true kinship probably takes a few generations.

When fifty or more people spend their lives, within the context of a successful break from the current world of hierarchy and private property and ideology, making sure that everyone within their group is fed and sheltered and nurtured and have built an infrastructure of ways and tools to assist them, anarchy begins to take hold.

This speculative glimpse is just my notion of how an urban area might de-urbanize should the present social order get cast overboard. Today, inhabitants of rural communes and eco-villages can practice some subsistence skills, but these are generally projects of the fortunate, out of reach of the majority, and can’t be viewed as the primary tactic of a thrust toward autonomous, genuine communities embedded in nature. A rural intentional community based around principles of mutual aid, cooperation and ecology might be a qualitatively superior place to live than most others, but truly self-directed people embedded in a habitat requires secession from private property and a refusal to obey the laws of both the market and the nation-state.

Power abhors subsistence. Capitalism depends on obedient producers and consumers spending our lives shopping and at work, not friends and neighbors practicing communal self reliance within a shared habitat. But together we can say no, we can disobey, and in this negativity there will birth a positive and creative force.

[dreamings-free]

A deep dive into Louis Tomlinson's career, both solo and in One Direction, and how he's grown into one of pop music's most thoughtful songwriters.

Sep 3rd 2024 by Rania Aniftos

With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to an end, Billboard has been looking back on the 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the Past 25 Years. Below, we take a deeper look into the solo career of Louis Tomlinson — one of the members of our No. 22 pop stars, One Direction — and how his songwriting, originally honed in 1D, has helped him develop into one of the group’s strongest breakout artists.

When One Direction officially went on hiatus in 2015, Zayn Malik dropped Mind of Mine in 2016, Harry Styles’ eponymous LP dropped in 2017, Niall Horan followed with Flicker later that year and Liam Payne’s First Time EP arrived in 2018. Louis Tomlinson, however, took his time with releasing a full project – and entered an era of healing and self-discovery that saw him realizing his potential as one of 1D’s most self-actualized artists, even if not necessarily the starriest.

Even before going solo, Tomlinson showed he was meant for breakthrough success while in One Direction. Longtime Directioners know that Tomlinson wrote more songs in One Direction than any other member, penning long standing hits including “Perfect,” “History” and “Fool’s Gold” and proving his fortitude as a songwriter who understands lyrical cleverness and crafting the indescribably catchy refrains necessary to produce arena-ready hits. Beyond his musical abilities, Tomlinson’s sense of humor and friendship with fellow 1D members also ensured fans had a soft spot for him.

[ embedded video: One Direction - History (Official Video) ]

However, when he did go solo, the road was slippery at first. He teamed up with Steve Aoki for his first solo release “Just Hold On” in December 2016, and just three days before its release, Tomlinson’s mother died of leukemia. He still took the stage to perform the song on The X Factor, the first public testament to the star’s strength and dedication to his musical craft.

Tomlinson’s resilience amid adversity continued as he navigated the music industry. The star signed with Epic Records in 2017 and released a few singles – including “Miss You” and the Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals-assisted “Back to You.” While the infectious hooks to both tracks could have easily solidified Tomlinson as a pop mainstay, the two singles didn’t perform as well as expected on the charts: “Just Hold On” peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Back to You” hit No. 40, while “Miss You” missed the chart altogether. Ultimately, a full-length album never materialized with Epic Records.

[ embedded video: Louis Tomlinson - Back to You (Official Video) ft. Bebe Rexha ]

Tomlinson shortly got back on his feet, as he always does, and signed with Arista Records in 2019 – where he honed his talent as a songwriter, this time feeling comfortable enough to tackle more vulnerable topics in his music. His first release under the label was “Two of Us,” a heart-wrenching tribute to his late mother. “I know you’ll be looking down/ Swear I’m gonna make you proud/ I’ll be living one life for the two of us,” he sings in the chorus, giving a glimpse into what would soon become a musical career full of honesty and vulnerability.

Unfortunately, shortly after its release, another hardship struck Tomlinson’s life when his 18-year-old sister Fizzy died of an accidental overdose. Both the release of “Two of Us” and the tragedy that followed showed just how close Tomlinson’s community of fans is, as they showered him with online love and support in the months that followed.

After taking some much-deserved time to heal, he announced in August of that year that his debut solo album was on its way – and shortly after, he released a follow-up single, the rock-leaning, drumline-driven “Kill My Mind.” Tomlinson admitted that he finally found his stride. “I’m actually really proud and relieved to finally find my place, find my lane musically,” he told Hits Radio Breakfast at the time, indicating a moment of relief amid his turbulent few years.

[ embedded video: Louis Tomlinson - Kill My Mind (Official Video) ]

Tomlinson’s debut solo album, Walls, arrived in January 2020 and while it hit the Billboard 200‘s top 10, it was met with mixed reviews from critics, who suggested that the heart he wanted to portray wasn’t quite there. His growth outside of commercial success proved otherwise, as he had been spending the past few years building a solid identity not only as an artist, but also as a person. While some of the other One Direction alums are still finding their footing with their solo sounds to this day, Tomlinson grew strongly into an instrumentation-focused pop-rock artist whose lyrics go beyond the cookie cutter sentiments you might expect from a former boy band member.

And soon, all the hard work – both personally and musically – finally paid off. Faith in the Future, his 2022 sophomore solo album, debuted at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. In the United States, Faith In The Future debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, and at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200, his highest-charting set yet on both tallies. The album’s success, as well his sold-out live shows on its accompanying tour, not only showed the still-standing Directioner devotion to Tomlinson, but also made it clear that he picked up a slew of new fans along the way.

Tomlinson’s self-awareness was evident on the album’s lead single, “Bigger Than Me.” “When somebody told me I would change/ I was afraid, I don’t know why/ ‘Cause so does the world outside, I’ve realized/ It’s bigger than me,” he sings – indicating that the key for solo success all along was being himself, and letting go of the pressure that fame brings.

While Tomlinson has still yet to score the major chart hits stateside that his 1D bandmates essentially achieved right away – and has been more focused on his 28 clothing line the past couple years – he’s proven that he doesn’t need traditional pop crossover success to have a bright future ahead of him. With another couple albums and tours that continue to establish his identity and expand his artistry, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him making the jump to arenas in the not-distant future. Louis’ solo career may not have gotten off to the perfect start, but it just might end up being perfect for him in the long-term anyway.

[videogamesincolor]

“I do think her work has informed the industry,” Mark Chen, a lecturer at the University of Washington Bothell, said. “I mean, part of the reason we keep hearing about harassment or sexism in the industry I think is because of her efforts and others like her who (forcibly) made space for others to follow.” Her work also continues to be referred to in academia, where it influences students who may go on to develop games. Tropes vs. Women in Video Games is a staple on digital media and video game class syllabuses. Marc Santos, an associate professor of English at the University of Northern Colorado, used Feminist Frequency in an undergraduate English class that’s focused on research writing on video games. Santos said he uses Sarkeesian’s work on Feminist Frequency because it stands up to this day, but also as a way to show students how to research and present analysis and criticism. In a recent project, students used videos like “Lingerie Is Not Body Armor” and “Strategic Butt Coverings,” which analyze the male gaze in video games, as a basis of analysis of clothing in the first 100 role-playing games that pop up on Steam. “I think there’s a lot of students — both men and women — who sort of realize that the portrayal of women, and all marginalized groups, in video games is bad. But Sarkeesian’s work helps focus their attention,” Santos said. “She provides a lens through which it becomes almost impossible to deny or ignore the extent of the problem.” Tropes vs. Women in Video Games continued until the end of 2017, and through years of abuse and harassment that one could simply call hell. The harassment Sarkeesian and her team experienced is unconscionable and included dangerous levels of violence, like bomb threats made at events Sarkeesian was attending. Sarkeesian’s first work predated the period of time now called Gamergate — a movement that is now considered a watershed moment in the rise of far-right extremism, a channeling of decades’ worth of bigotry and hatred embedded into systems, platforms, and communities both online and off. When Tropes vs. Women in Video Games continued through Gamergate, that hatred was channeled toward her and others who advocated for better representation in games.

Around the time she started uploading videos critical of media like Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, I had my first come-to-Jesus moment with the gaming community and just how violently racist and misogynist it was in the Left 4 Dead [2] and Resident Evil 5 fanspace.

Nothing has changed about the L4D[2] and RE fanspace, or gaming, in that regard (they just moved to Reddit). But when she started uploading videos critical of gaming culture and the toxicity of that space, I was grateful to see the pushback, because it gave rise to other voices that occupied areas she either missed or weren't her focus.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Sarkeesian, Not Your Momma's Gamer, and I Need Diverse Games, were all a big part of why the dudebro-to-Ggate culture that was once so acceptable in gaming magazines and other gaming spaces, don't have mainstream games culture by the throat any longer, and why this blog exists.

[radwolf76]

WH40K Homebrew Space Marine Chapter: Stormwolves

I've posted about them before, but with the April 2024 Field Manual Points List v1.8 recently dropping, I'd gone back to make sure my army list for my Homebrew Chapter was still in compliance, or as close to it as I can get seeing as much of it is from Legends due to the nature of my Chapter's Backstory, and it felt like a good time to consolidate the Lore as well.

(Keep in mind I don't actually play this army, the last time I played 40k was when Clinton was in office, it's just an exercise in seeing how well I can apply the army building rules to my Homebrew's fluff.)

Stormwolves Lore

The story of my Homebrew Marine Chapter, the Stormwolves, starts with an Ordo Sicarius Inquisitor who had been embedded as a deep-cover operative in the Vanus Temple Assassin of the Officio Assassinorum -- Real name undisclosed, known only by her Inquisitorial Authorization Code for her Mission: 𝜮 — Niner . Septagraph \ Halley | ℚ [Rational] • Soul : Zed <𝑖> ∞ = Foxtrot ^ V̿ (This is often shortened to "Sigma Stroke Niner", and in rare cases to just Halley)

The combination of Inquisitorial zeal and the Data Gathering & Manipulation skills of an Unbound Infocyte is a potent mix, and Sigma Stroke Niner was able to deduce the existence of Cawl's Primaris project prior to it's official unveiling, including the initial reports (later proven wrong) that these new marines would be near-immune to the various chapters' gene-seed flaws.

She brought this finding back to her compartmentalized Inquisitorial Conclave, who decided that it warranted further investigation in the utmost secret. They also came to the verdict that if there were going to be a next generation of Marines, it was ill-advised to let them all be under the sole control of a lone member of the Mechanicus, no matter how intelligent and skilled. The Inquisitor Infocyte was authorized for a new assignment, to divert one of Cawl's secret remote caches of Primaris for study by an independent Mechanicus Arch-Genetor. This diverted batch of Primaris would also secretly serve as a fail-safe contingency for the eventuality of Cawl's project posing a threat to the Imperium, giving the Inquisition an independent stock of Primaris from which a counter-force could eventually be raised from.

A Vogelist Arch-Genetor, Kristiana Rozza, was chosen and allowed to review the collected research intercepted from Cawl. She hypothesized that the supposed flaw resistance may be possible to be backported to Firstborn Marines, especially if aspirants were screened for favorable genomes. A Rogue Trader, Jareth Keldon XXIV, was secretly commissioned to locate an obscure world to conduct experiments with this new "Marine Chapter", his payment being a full company's worth of these new marines being seconded to his flagship to assist with his explorations.

The planet that the Rogue Trader was able to locate for the project, Etherion IV, was a pre-Imperium Dark Age of Technology -Remnant human colony Industrial-Hive not on standard navigational charts due to surrounding warp-storms (these warp-storms would result in several temporal anomalies and the planetary system having an asteroid belt littered with Space Hulk wreckage from the past and even future).

Etherion IV's planetary culture consists of a Capitalist Corporate Oligarchy with proxy wars of genegineered Abhuman Hive-Gangs, called "Splicer Gangs". The wide variety of genegineering among segments of the native population gave Arch-Genetor Rozza a broad canvas of potential aspirants for her various experiments in Astartes creation.

In addition to the stasis Primaris extracted from Cawl's secret cache, a small amount of Astartes genetic tithings were diverted so that Firstborn Marines could also be made. The primary source was the Space Wolves, but some Blood Angels Progenoids were also in the mix of what could be illicitly redirected. While carrying the Geneseed mutations of these parent Chapters, the Marines created from this supply were entirely divorced from the homeworlds of Fenris and Baal, carrying no cultural context for any Chapter-specific flaws that develop.

The Stormwolves are not a full strength Chapter, and lack much of the heavier hardware. What vehicles and aircraft they do have are often archived museum pieces whose storage records were "misfiled" or unused prototype schematic designs pulled from mothballs at various Forge Worlds to then be manufactured locally on Etherion IV.

Due to their covert "founding", the Stormwolves are also at risk of being misidentified as a Renegade Chapter or even surviving Heresy-era Blackshields. Or they would be, if they hadn't been trapped by a severe time-distorting Warp Storm keeping them isolated while time ran at widely disparate rates inside and outside of the storm. This Storm lasted several centuries and did not fully dissipate until the middle of the Indomitus Crusade.

Due to the research-based charter that was their unofficial founding, the Stormwolves have a non-Codex structure.

Chapter Leadership is referred to as "Control" and consists of Firstborn Marines that have not been experimented on. They assist the Arch-Genetor with her experiments, and also lean hard into the monastic side of being an Astartes. Their unique power armor color scheme is often not fully visible due to cloaks, robes, tabards, capes, and hoods in black, red, and royal purple. Control also almost exclusively carries high-powered relic combi-weapons.

Then come the Bloodstorm Squadrons which are batches of Firstborn who have had their Geneseed experimented on. Their armor scheme is a variation of Control's colors, with more red. Conscripts from the Abhuman Splicer Gangs are also assigned to Bloodstorm as they wait to see if they get chosen for Marine implants.

Both these Firstborn sections are outnumbered by the Primaris Marines of the Stygian Wolves Division. Sporting a much darker paint scheme, the Stygian Wolves are a mostly Phobos-armored Vanguard Force and are typically grouped into 5 Marine squads, one of which is always a Helix Adept. These squads are either designated as Obscuratus Pack if they are equipped with Omni-Scramblers and Comms Arrays, or as Phantom Pack if they eschew this extra equipment in favor of mobility. The Helix Adepts in both types of Pack are charged with monitoring the genetic health of the rest of their squad in addition to all their other normal Helix Adept duties. Both Obscuratus and Phantom Packs wield the locally produced Etherion-Pattern Marksman Bolt Carbine, a design that takes cues from both the Instigator Bolt Carbine and the Stalker Pattern Bolter. Occasionaly, smaller fire teams armed with either Bolt Sniper Rifles or Las-Fusils are also employed.

Uncommonly, the Stygian Wolves also use Tacticus Configuration of Mk. X Power Armor, frequently in combination with Plasma Incinerators in a Hellblaster-style loadout, in squad formations lead by an Apothecary and known as Sterilization Detail. Very rarely will the Intercessor-syle loadout with the Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle be used; this equipment profile is typically reserved for in boarding actions. Rarest of all are the Gravis-armored Multi-Melta wielders of the Extermination Crew.

The devotion to monitoring their own genetics in the pursuit of constant improvement is not just limited to the Stygian Wolves Division, as Control is also very Apothecary heavy, with many Apothecaries assigned to a leadership role by the title of Helix Keeper. Helix Keepers also frequently assume the command position over Bloodstorm Squads. The Helix Keepers, Apothecaries, and Helix Adepts of the Chapter take the place of Chaplins, as the Stormwolves have no Chapter Cult of their own, their worship is directed solely towards genetic experimentation. The quest for purity also has weeded out most all forms of random mutation, including the Psyker genes, so the Chapter also lacks Librarians. (The deliberate genengineering of potential aspirants is an exception to the purity mandate.)

The Stormwolves often fight alongside Auxiliaries draw from the troops assigned to Rogue trader Keldon's fleet. Keldon's Elite Personal Guard, the 1st Selene Contingent, is the most powerful of these. They provide an additional avenue for Arch-Genetor Rozza to experiment on enhancements that fall outside of the Inquisitorial charter to research Space Marine genetics and the Primaris Project. The true nature of these side experiments by the Arch-Genetor are shrouded in secrecy for unknown reasons. While there is always the possibility that the sub-project could be something considered to be Heretical by either the Mechanicus or the Imperium, Sigma Stroke Niner is aware of the details, and permits the work to continue. It is of note that the 1st Selene Contingent is an all-female unit.

[quixoticanarchy]

what is the connectography book and why is it so terrible?

Sorry this took a while to collect my thoughts! where do I start.....

tl;dr it's a paean to enlisting every corner of the earth in the global neoliberal economy so that each can maximize their natural role in the supply chain and achieve Development™. All resources feasible to extract should be extracted, "connectivity" is the most important goal and value and metric in the world, supply chains matter more than nations, globalization is an inexorable force for good, we should focus on mass infrastructure projects to speed development (including a bizarre amount of fossil fuel infrastructure projects). yes there are downsides and yes there's a climate crisis going on but don't mind that, it'll actually be quite profitable

long answer under the cut:

Connectography is a book by Parag Khanna - CNN consultant, Brookings Institute guy, former Special Ops embed, National Intelligence Council advisor etc. So off the bat he’s quite embedded (so to speak) and aligned with the US military and national security apparatus, although the focus of the book is economic. The main arguments are that the world can no longer be thought of as a discrete set of countries setting and fighting over national policies, but an interconnected “supply chain world” where systems of production, transportation, and consumption drive policy and development in and of themselves. Consequently he argues for the diminishing importance of the nation-state and an increasing importance of smaller units of power geography like cities as well as broader ones like regions. He then argues that authority will and should devolve from centralized states to smaller units, and that global conflict would diminish or disappear if we could just give every tribal group its own state or at least autonomy within a larger state. Which is..... already quite a take.

His other main contention is that investing in mass infrastructure projects (oil pipelines, trains, highways, ports) is the best way to maximize "connectivity" and speedrun modernity and urbanization and development and industrial exploitation of poor countries. Demands that everyone and everything serve the market's invisible hand have become demands to bow to the needs of supply chains - which despite being quite based in the material world, are often invoked as something of a mystical force with their own whims and desires, uncoupled from human action.

In a way, there are principles that I also hold which show up in a strange twisted mirror version here. He isn't interested in preserving the nation-state as a form - but it's bc he prioritizes transnational supply chains and rule by corporatocracy. He would like to see a more borderless world - but he's also in favor of more borders (give every ethnic group a state, but also states don't matter anymore?), which counterintuitively he says would lead to a more interconnected and frictionless world. He's pro-immigration and freedom of mobility - but elsewhere it's made clear that he's also invested in blocking undesirable "flows" across borders, and is pro-mobility of people just as long as they enhance economic productivity. He makes some cogent critiques of maps and what is obscured by treating political maps of country borders as true and absolute, for instance - but the ways in which he would re-map the world are all to reflect and further the hyperconnected hypercapitalism he applauds. He would rather see structural adjustment programs prescribe infrastructure investments than austerity - but he still supports "developing" countries being forcibly drafted into the global economy and structured according to the (politely vague and innocuous-sounding) demands of supply chains.

The cheerleading for infrastructure projects, which might be mistaken for a benevolent interest in public spending, is much less "repair bridges so they won't collapse and kill people" and much more "repair and build more and bigger bridges so that more and bigger trucks can carry more cargo across them faster". His rather unoriginal instruction to "developing" countries is to accept globalization is inevitable so it's best to get yours where you can: start by selling off your resources and turning them over to private industry, open SEZs (Special Economic Zones, aka Free Trade Zones) and let the corporations use your cheap labor until you ‘develop’ enough to move up the value chain and those industries depart for cheaper and more lawless shores. He's really into SEZs. It's the classic race to the bottom, except he does not dwell whatsoever on that bottom and its conditions, nor its necessity - someone somewhere will always have to be the cheapest, the most exploitable, the most business-friendly. Instead we get, predictably, the argument that the race to the bottom actually lifts all boats bc corporate investment through SEZs teaches backwards countries how to develop faster and better.

Nothing makes me see red like considering how the version of the future which to me is a nightmare - a fully urbanized integrated modernized hypercapitalist corporate-run world of endless growth and consumption and extraction and waste mediated by advanced technology and surveillance, all consequences be damned - is seen as good and desirable and inevitable by various political and military leaders, economists, think tanks, corporations, etc.

It's also kind of sickening how incredibly out of touch all these visions are. There is no discussion of resource scarcity or limits. There is no discussion of waste. My guy Khanna's acknowledgments of climate change are so blasé and opportunistic I would rather he were a rabid climate denier. How do you acknowledge the destabilizing and deadly effects of climate crisis and yet promote and lionize policies that ensure more of those effects? How are mass scale infrastructure projects supposed to knit people together though lasting physical and supply chain interdependence when so fucking many of them are fossil fuel infrastructure projects?? I cannot emphasize enough how much he gushes over countries and companies building ever more oil pipelines, opening up new deposits for drilling (including in the arctic), and putting aside border disputes to transport oil faster and faster to the biggest consumers.

Well, don’t worry - he’s got the climate-meltdown world all figured out. No mention of cutting emissions or keeping temperature rise down or even many mentions of "green" energy; it's still drill baby drill til we die. Most coastal cities will drown and most latitudes will become uninhabitable but it’s ok, Canada and Russia can become the breadbaskets of the world and we’ll tap all those good good arctic basin resources as the ice melts. Probably throw in some geoengineering too. Climate migrants can move north in their millions, and Canada and Russia will welcome them; really, it's convenient, bc they’re too sparsely populated up there anyway and could use some fresh blood.

There are many other ridiculous or appalling things here I could go into if this post weren't already too long - the statement that colonialism is over, inequality is inevitable and a worthy price to pay, antiglobalization activists are naïve and basically a dying breed anyway, the world has gotten so good at controlling desirable flows and preventing undesirable ones--in particular, we're soo good at controlling infectious disease these days (lol. lmao even), the discussion of Dubai and Doha as prime examples of interconnected hyperglobal cities without going into like. human trafficking, the mocking of countries that tried to choose a third way decades ago and were brutally punished, the disparaging of swana/african countries as weak and crisis-ridden (seemingly idiopathic idk. funny), the shameless extolling of the lovely resources found in war zones which sadly preclude their needful exploitation.. etc. Etc.

I hated this book and would only recommend as a know-thine-enemy exercise; I did get a fair bit out of it from that perspective, and it's worthwhile to consider the implications of the worldview that people like this espouse. But it's incredibly depressing and infuriating that the admitted endgame of all this really is to consume everything there is on this planet to squeeze out every drop of profit, and then flee to the poles when it all comes crashing down.

[caitlynlynch]

Hi. I've sometimes considered getting into narration and I was just wondering how you got yourself into the industry, if you have a moment...

I got in because I was already inside the house :P

Let me elaborate. I was already an author. I'd written stuff that suited my voice. I'd been wondering for a while about audio and when my writing org (Romance Writers of Australia) ran an online course about how to record your own audio, I decided to pay the $55 cost and see what it was all about. I had a high school acting background and was reasonably confident I had a suitable voice, I already had a cheap USB mic, I hung a few blankets in my closet, and got to work. I recorded a couple of short stories I'd written in the Austen fanfic genre and posted them for free in an Austen fanfic fan group on Facebook asking what people thought. Within literally days I had other authors pretty much all over me asking what I charged. I really didn't know what it was worth, so I did a bit of research and quoted a rate (about 2/3 of my current rate) and booked my first paying project. I then got really lucky. I got hired by an author to do a series of 12 books, one a month, if I would guarantee the rate I was then charging. Sure, I said. I've since done over 30 books for that author. I've upgraded my equipment and my skills since then, but tbh most of my work still comes through authors I know - I hardly have to audition - and my theory is this: People are lazy. If you need a skilled job doing and you have a close acquaintance who has that skill, you hire them. An electrician, or a plumber, for example. You don't go looking for a different one. If someone wants a British-accented female narrator and they've been chatting with me on social media for 5 years, there's a high probability they're gonna say "Hey you want the job?" rather than have to go through the auditioning process and then trust a complete stranger when quite a bit of money is on the line. The way I got into narration won't work for people who aren't already embedded in the author community, unfortunately. I'd already done the preliminary work, not that I realised what I was doing, and I was positioned to take advantage of it.

If you want to get into narration, the first thing you need to do is go to the Narrator's Roadmap and take advantage of allll the free resources. Now, you need to do some PRACTICE. I've recommended before to people who want; approach fanfic authors and ask if you can make podfic of their work. You won't get paid but you'll learn A LOT.

Once you've got a few recordings under your belt I recommend getting a tech consult. There are a couple of people who will do a freebie to start - Don Baarns is a leading engineer in the field, or my personal tech guru is Jim Edgar.

Don't skip this step. You need to be sure your work is up to quality standards or you're wasting your time auditioning. And then you need to start auditioning. Go back to the Narrator's Roadmap for the where and how.

Good luck. It's not for everyone, but it's something I love doing, and I'm lucky enough to be earning a decent rate for it. I could absolutely make a full-time living out of it but, for me, sitting in a cupboard all day talking to fictional people isn't great for my mental health, so I keep a part-time day job to get me out of the house.

[haggishlyhagging]

In the 1950s and 1960s, civil libertarians joined pornographers to fight anti-obscenity laws. The pornographers who started out as the clients of civil liberties lawyers soon became their funders and friends. By the end of the 1970s, a symbiotic relationship existed between civil libertarians and pornographers that could not be ignored: the San Diego chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) showed pornographic films as fundraisers in a theater loaned by a local pornographer; the Minnesota chapter (the MCLU) was donated free office space by midwest pornography kingpins; the ACLU's reproductive rights project received substantial funding from the Playboy Foundation; and each year the ACLU's national office helped arrange and judge the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards, a Playboy public relations effort. (Not surprisingly, recipients of the awards were frequently ACLU officials.)

The contradictions embedded in the philosophy and history of civil libertarians are evident in their reaction to a law, passed by the New York State legislature in the late 1970s, that criminalized the production, distribution, and sale of child pornography. Never even considering the harm of child pornography to the civil liberties of children—in particular, the right of children to live in society free from the threat of sexual exploitation and abuse—the ACLU adopted unquestioningly the domino theory offered as a defense by the child pornographers prosecuted under the statute: prohibition of child pornography would trigger a process that would end in the censorship of masterpieces of literature. The ACLU, along with two other civil libertarian groups (the Media Coalition and American Booksellers Association), fought the child pornography statute all the way to the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the New York law, which became the model for a federal statute, the domino theory did not become reality. Huckleberry Finn and Ulysses remained on the bookshelves. This fact, however, did not stop the ACLU from evoking this specious argument against subsequent feminist legal efforts.

Also underlying the alliance of civil libertarians with pornographers and with sexual liberalism is the fact that these organizations were established and have always been controlled by white men. As a consequence, the philosophy and political agenda of civil libertarians have always reflected and furthered white male interests. Although civil libertarian leaders are not necessarily sex industry consumers, it is clear that they do not experience the reduction of women to sexual commodities as demeaning or exploitative. Their domino theory is never applied to the other side of the question: whether the legitimization and proliferation of pornography and prostitution destroy the civil liberties of women. The few women who have risen to positions of importance within the ACLU have shared the values of their male colleagues—indeed, it was the female director of the ACLU's San Diego chapter who arranged to have an X-rated "classic" that featured a coerced and brutalized pornography "model" shown to its members to educate them about the innocuousness of pornography.

-Dorchen Leidholdt, “Introduction” in The Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism

[ralfmaximus]

Every movie is not an act of love lmao. It’s called the entertainment INDUSTRY, not the entertainment arts collective ✌️

Respectfully disagree.

Embedded inside every hollywood cashgrab shitfest is somebody's passion project. Yes, the Industry is a grinder and will rip your arms off while you're trying to hug your child, but that doesn't change the fact that every filmmaker starts out loving that child.

Each work in Disney's coldly calculated MCU juggernaut contains somebody's personal love & attention.

I might loathe Morbius (2022) but that doesn't diminish the fact that a creative person thought that concept into being and wanted to see it on film. Maybe the finished product was exactly that vision.

It still sucks. It's still love.

[buckets-and-trees]

Late Night Quickie

Collection: SHIELD Gaming AU Characters/Pairings: Joaquin Torres x Natasha Romanoff Word Count: 1.2k Summary: It's still all hands on deck around the clock as time is running our for SHIELD to finish implementing an industry-changing element into the version of The Avengers they're about to send in for game approval before the beta test can be launched soon at PAX East. But Bucky and his game tester aren't the only ones at SHIELD entangled in a very satisfying side quest...

Content Warnings: smut, oral (male receiving), dirty talk, praise, dacryphilia, age gap (Nat is 10 years Joaquin's senior)

Logistical Notes: Third tick for my Bingo Card in @the-slumberparty's August/September Challenge with B2: "Clothes on Sex." Same universe as Perfectionists and Test Play but can be read as a standalone - all you need to know is Steve, Bucky, Sam, Natasha, and Joaquin are the five-person team of game engineers for the SHIELD Gaming company.

Additional Notes: Thank you @vonalyn for reading this for coherency. Gamer graphic by @sgt-seabass. Dedicated to my co-conspirator for "A Very Horny Monday to You All..." @biteofcherry for our first week of mischief - she chose the theme 'oral quickies.' We can all lovingly blame her for this!

↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

2am.

Two fucking a-m.

Joaquin just grinned.

This was not the week any of them wanted or expected, and he certainly didn't want this to ever be the norm. But running off adrenaline, catching only a few hours of sleep (if he was lucky), lots of Red Bull, and late-night food orders to make up for what the typical in-house kitchen wasn't covering was something he couldn't deny was an experience.

Teams all across SHIELD Gaming had been and still were working around the clock to get the shelved-for-later Deep Shadow Conditions mode back into the release SHIELD was going to submit to the first party platforms for approval in just a few days. Marketing, story, game engineering, testers… everyone. It was a rush, pushing the limits for this short period of time, but they were close to pulling off a triumph with embedding Deep Shadow. Joaquin had loved the pitch for that aspect when it was originally floated, they had initiated the development, but then a couple of the execs had said to push it back to the next release. Fury had called the audible and said they needed to put it back in to top what HYDRA was developing with Project Insight. But Joaquin had always known Deep Shadow would really push them miles past everything else coming out right now.

That’s why he didn’t mind pulling these insane hours to get the work done with the rest of the engineers.

And he certainly didn’t mind this.

He had no problem leaning back against the wall of the women’s restroom, jeans unzipped, Natasha poised between his legs, and her pretty lips around his cock, deep throating him.

Fuck she looked so good like that. They hadn’t had enough time together since the Deep Shadow blitz, and he was so glad she’d pulled him into the bathroom right now. Her left hand was anchored on his hip, and the other was reaching up his shirt, roving over his abs and chest as his threaded into her hair, holding her head at the base of her skull. He was letting her control the pace and how much of his length she took in for now, just holding her, feeling that connection.

Joaquin had been under no illusion in the beginning that this absolute goddess who was ten years his senior had only been flirting with him because it was fun and had no intentions beyond more than maybe a night or two tumbling in bed together. But he’d had a hunch they could have more, that he wanted more, and categorically convinced her they were worth a shot.

He worshipped her but challenged her in a way no one else did. He knew that’s why she’d even started flirting with him, appreciating that he could go round for round with her sass, her sarcasm, and her saucy comments without getting flustered or cocky and the rest of their conversation – work and casual – had rolled along so easily like they’d been working together for years after only a few weeks.

Now they were eight months into an officially-disclosed-to-HR relationship – but not to their team because they did not need Cap, Sam, or Bucky in their business. Work was work, and until tonight, the physical had stayed outside of HQ.

It spoke to how little time they’d had together that they were here right now.

And he was just as hungry for her as she was for him.

Joaquin took over and pulled her head down slowly on him, drawing Nat down to take all of him, the tip of his cock hitting the back of her throat, then gently nudging further down her esophagus. She moaned around him, her hands flexing against him. “You always take me so well, Romanov.”

He knew she loved this. She was a cocky little minx and so loved the praise. In response she sunk the rest of the way down his cock. He groaned in ecstasy. Love this.

“Fuck, I could stay here with you on my dick until your legs give out.”

She tightened her grip on his hip.

“But I wanna fuck this pretty throat of yours, babe.”

A small noise from her as she stayed just as she was, their eyes locked on each other.

“That’s what you really wanted, isn’t it?”

Those lust-blown green eyes told him everything, and he grinned wickedly down at her. Abruptly twisting them around to place her on her knees with her back against the wall, he made sure she was secure before asking, "Ready for me?"

She hummed again.

He smirked. “Desperate for me?”

A growl this time.

He laughed. “Me, too, babe.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek, one more tender moment, then he slowly pulled out until only the head of the cock was the only thing she had her lips around. She sucked hard, hollowing her cheeks, and swirled her tongue over the leaking tip of him. “Oh, you’re so fucking good. Love that talented tongue. But now you’re really gonna take me.”

She nodded, eyes blazing with heat. He moved his right hand to cradle her cheek and jawline as he leaned his left forearm against the wall to brace himself, and then he thrust back into her wet mouth. He continued, pistoning his hips in and out, brutally but not recklessly. She clung to his shirt, his hips, anything from moment to moment. Her eyes watered, then the tears started to spill, and he groaned. “So pretty for me like this. Those gorgeous tears falling for me, just like you fall apart for me.”

And then he just focused on the feel of her around his cock, the heat, the sounds of him sliding in and out, her whimpers and moans. The frenzy built and then he spilled into her mouth and down her throat, hips stuttering to a stop, and she held him there in place, swallowing every bit of him until he was done. She pulled her mouth off him with a deliberately audible pop, smug, beautiful goddess that she was.

She slid up between his heaving chest and the wall, brushing her lips against his jaw with soft, playful kisses. “Like that?”

“Love that,” he corrected. “Bet your cunt’s a hot, drippy mess for me, isn’t she?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased before claiming his lips in a kiss, tangling their tongue so he could taste the evidence of his spend, and pushing her pelvis up against him.

“Meet back here in an hour?”

“Fuck, I’m hoping we can convince them there’s nothing more to do tonight and get out of here in the next hour. Then you’re taking me home to fuck me in your bed properly.”

He laughed, “Anything for my Natalia.”

↠ Main Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

I do not do tag lists, but FOLLOW @buckets-and-stories and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS to be updated any time I publish a new work!

[lilacsmothership]

some highlights of magical combat in Standard Candles:

frontline combat is saturated with drones and marked by extensive use of elaborate rituals that can be done on the fly thanks to drone assistance and high-performance cyberware. modern artificial muscles, personal flight tech and cyberware cooling rigs gushing hot air and steam allow soldiers to think and move at high speed, bounce from wall to wall with delicate choreography, hover in the air, and sustain complicated and difficult poses; drones can quickly position magical equipment, spray paint sigils and arcane graffiti and weave mandalas, project light and sound and other sensory data, etc.

much of magic gains power from thoughts, behaviors, and particular forms of social relationship. any given environment and gathering of beings, from chatrooms to civilizations, gives power to particular forms of magic. when the ambient bustle of society isn't enough, thoughts and behaviors can be engineered by various means. modern magitech makes extensive use of AI to automate banal rituals, from chatbots and avatars in cyberspace to physically mobile drones, but there are often times when unconscious algorithms won't cut it. so there is also a flourishing world of in-depth social engineering - ranging from subtle manipulations embedded in daily life to VR sims, industrial parks and entire Truman Show-esque planned communities explicitly built around simulating alternate, (often) uncanny forms of society.

such nodes of refined ritual behavior and dedication can be powerful boons to battlefield mages, so the military operates a suite of battlefield social engineering hardware from APCs full of personnel wired into VR to controlled environment carriers: mobile platforms dedicated to supporting a planned community acting out its own alternate reality in isolation from the real world. equipped with an extensive suite of EM shielding, shock absorbers and acoustic muffling, quiet cooling systems and even its own gravity manipulation pods.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Anti-degrowthers reject and misrepresent, often deliberately, the views of degrowth thinkers to preserve, in ideology if not reality, human domination of nature; to preserve in other words, the current way of life, red in tooth and claw, forged by the notion nature, somehow separate from humanity, must be contained as if the natural world in which we are embedded is a Cold War adversary. When the term, sustainability, is used by this group, it is only to present the concept, as John Gray stated, of a sustainable more. In the name of Marx, the Prometheans discard the old man’s most potent tool, dialectical materialism, which should inspire one to look out the window to see our actually existing condition, to sell us a vision of life as usual, only more so. They claim to look boldly into the future but are caught in a forever 1950 when American capitalism gazed upon the world and saw only resources. As a point of comparison with Phillips’ Silicon Valley-esque call to “transcend limits”, consider J.B. Foster’s definition of degrowth, presented in an essay titled “Planned Degrowth: Ecosocialism and Sustainable Human Development” the introduction to a series published in Monthly Review (Volume 75, Number 3 (July-August 2023): “The word degrowth stands for a family of political-economic approaches that, in the face of today’s accelerating planetary ecological crisis, reject unlimited, exponential economic growth as the definition of human progress. To abandon economic growth in wealthy societies means to shift to zero net capital formation. With continual technological development and the enhancement of human capabilities, mere replacement investment is able to promote steady qualitative advancements in production in mature industrial societies, while eliminating exploitative labor conditions and reducing working hours.” To paraphrase John Duncan, and contrary to the tireless, and tiresome, efforts of the Prometheans to apply GDP and corporate growth projection thinking to Marxist methods, degrowth is not austerity (which is, after all, a capitalist technique, imposed to preserve profit). It is, simply, an acknowledgement of our material conditions; an effort to imagine, and hopefully shape, a world beyond ‘growth’ as defined by capitalism.