#memories isuse

[fictionkinfessions]

I'm watching my source material right now and the memories are just. Flooding back to me. They're so scary. I can feel and remember all of it. It was so painful being in the oven. And no one remembers or cares. Maybe they didn't hurt me. But they hurt me. So many of them did. I don't want to cry because I hate feeling weak but... The aching.

x

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

Part of me doesn’t care about finding canonmates- they aren’t exactly, you know? But at the same time, I long for my old friends, my lovers. How could I not? But those people I meet will never be them in the way I recall. Never exact. Never in the personality, the face. Not quite. I miss them. I don’t mind talking to people who could be canon mates, of course, but my canons have been wildly divergent that it’s unlikely my memories will match. That’s okay, but I long.

[nadyourbae]

Intro to IR: Answering Question

Nadhira Sekarputri - 072011233020 - USA

Nationalism described as a concept that creates a strong bonds of allegiance and loyalty between of a group of people and the corresponding nation-state. This identification is also maintains the sovereignity of a nation-state by realizing a common identity of a group of people who have the same goals or ideals in national interest as well. Therefore, nationalism exist as an inseparable political entity. As a guide for leaders in conducting foreign relations and a benchmark for evaluating government performance in conducting foreign relations. indirectly also functions as a country's access to see phenomena across national borders.

National identity is an important and crucial determinant in international system. National identity assets are the evidence of who the citizens are, how them see theirselves and how them relate to the rest of the world. It can be refered in multidimensional features, such as  directly, indirectly, historic territory, common myths and historical memories, common mass public culture, common legal rights and duties, and common economy with territotial mobility. Those features include high-value and sustain the impermeability of the national territory, the identity of its inhabitants and theintegrity of its social institutions. Identity makes nation-state become unique and determine citizens’ sense of belonging to the nation-state. It also focuses in particular interest among nation-states.

Power is one of the most important and most discussed concepts in the field of international relations, because dominated by ideas of power itself. Power is neither a thing nor an event, it is a capacity. It is also all a matter of perception and could not be objectively measured. Power classified by three types, such as soft power, hard power, and smart power. Hard power often measured by capability of state influencing another actor using military factors, population, and economic force with coersive and represive character. Examples of hard power are coercive diplomacy, economic sanctions, military action, and the forming of military alliances for deterrence and mutual defense. Meanwhile, soft power from non material aspects, such as culture, ideology, and regional  affinity. It has internalizing values that attractive and persuasive. Examples of soft power are the worldwide consumption of South Korean media products and Pesona Indonesia campaign. Combination between hard and soft power called smart power, it isused for long term goals and strategic mission. One of the examples of smart power is War on Terror.

Reference:

Barnett, M., & Duvall, R. (2004). Power in Global Governance. Cambridge Studies in International Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kellas, J. G. (1998). Nationalism and International Relations. The Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity. London : Macmillan Press

Knutsen, T. L. (1997). A history of international relations theory. Manchester, Manchester University Press.

EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

[ivfjunction]

Covid 19 Vaccines In Pregnancy Or Breastfeeding Women

Covid-19 has completely changed the world as everyone sees it. Vaccine, Antibodies, Antigen, and herd immunity, words which were often spoken in the science communities have now become household names. Scientists have worked hard and swiftly in order to bring a vaccine against Covid-19 in record time. Now that the vaccine is available, a lot of people, especially pregnant and lactating women have their apprehensions — Is the Covid-19 Vaccine safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women?

A vaccine is a product that trains the body to produce antibodies against a particular disease causing organism without causing actual illness. Today, vaccines have been used to control various diseases that affect us. Over the years, many epidemics have been prevented and controlled by the use of vaccines. .vaccines offer a shield of protection by providing immunity and preventing infection.

Table of contents

Types of vaccines available

Side effects of vaccine as told by the scientists

Side effects especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women

What are other countries suggesting

What are health organizations suggesting

When can pregnant women and Breastfeeding women get the vaccine?

Types of Vaccines

A vaccine differs in whether the whole of the bacterium or the virus is used; the specific part of the organism that sets off the immune system isused; or only the genetic material is being used.

Whole virus vaccines

a) Inactivated vaccine

In these types of vaccines, the pathogen is inactivated using chemical agents, heat or by radiation, after which they are produced on a large scale and ready for community use. COVAXIN is a type of inactivated vaccine. The body’s immune system recognises the killed virus and initiates a response without causing the disease per se.

The antigens produced as a result, build immune memory that sets the base for when a live pathogen of the same kind enters the body in future. These vaccines are relatively safer as they do not carry the risk of reverting back to its mutated form in the future. Multiple booster doses may be needed to build a considerable level of immunity.

b) Live-attenuated vaccine

In this type, a live but weaker version of the pathogen is used . They are designed to cause a response but no serious illness in the bodies of people that have normal functioning immune systems. When the immune system recognises the pathogen, a response is triggered that is as close to a natural infection as possible, and serves as a great stimulant to the immune system. These vaccines offer a lifetime of immunity in one or two doses .

c) Viral vector vaccine

In a viral vector vaccine, a safe virus is chosen into which protein subparts of the pathogen are inserted. When such a vaccine is used, an immune response is elicited, but without causing disease. The safe virus that is used acts as a vehicle or vector to deliver the pathogen into the body. In response, the system generates an immune response. COVISHIELD is a viral vector vaccine.

Subunit vaccines

Unlike other types of vaccines, these vaccines use a distinct part of the pathogen which may be a protein or a sugar that is needed to generate an immune recognition and build subsequent immunity. The whole pathogen or a vector is not used. These types of vaccines are used to control whooping cough, diphtheria, meningitis etc.

Genetic vaccines

These vaccines use neither a pathogen or a vector. Instead specific parts of the genetic material are used. On entering the body, the vaccine makes proteins that are necessary to initiate an immune response. Scientists have been researching these vaccines for decades and now we have some mRNA vaccines. They train the body on how to make the protein , and then the body’s cells get rid of the mRNA. The learnt response continues when the pathogen enters the body in future. Since no live virus is used, there is no chance of the person contracting the disease.

Side effects of vaccine

The common side effects occurring at Injection site:

● Pain

● Redness

● Swelling

● Hard to touch

The common side effects that can occur in the Rest of the body:

● Muscle pain

● Chills

● Fever

● Body ache

● Nausea

● Tiredness

When a vaccine is given, the body is trained to generate an immune response. These mild to moderate symptoms after getting the vaccine are because your body is reacting in response to the shot as necessary . The blood flow increases, the cells of the immune system are circulating actively in the body, and the body temperature is raised in order to kill the virus.

To manage these symptoms, use your arm after a while, drink lots of fluids, relax and rest well for a few hours to ease any discomfort.

Side effects of COVID vaccine in pregnant and breastfeeding women

COVID vaccines and pregnancy have been researched and debated extensively. As per recent clinical data by the Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the occurrence of the side effects of the COVID vaccine during pregnancy and breastfeeding, are no more than the other groups and the risks of a pregnant woman being non vaccinated outweigh the manageable side effects .

In fact, a study on 4,00,000 women conducted by the Centre for disease control and prevention in the USA found that COVID during pregnancy increases the severity of the disease. If you are considering IVF for pregnancy and would like to know if getting vaccinated is the right choice, consulting a Doctor to discuss the same is recommended. To clear the air about undergoing IVF during a pandemic you can Consult the experts on IVF Junction’s Platform.

What are other countries suggesting

Many countries such as the USA, UK, New Zealand have taken the lead and started vaccinating pregnant and lactating mothers. After analyzing available data that show COVID in pregnant women results in more complications and considering the already existing physical demands of a pregnant woman, they have already started vaccinating.

New Zealand has made the Pfizer vaccine available for pregnant women. The Journal of American association of pediatrics has published a study that found that women who have COVID and are pregnant, have a 50% more chance of complications such as premature birth etc and hence recommend vaccination among this group.

What health organizations are suggesting

The WHO has issued an interim guideline that pregnant women may be vaccinated if they show high risk of exposure to COVID 19 or have existing comorbidities. Taking into account the risk of COVID in pregnancy, vaccination is recommended and they are offered a choice.

The CDC (Centre for disease control and prevention) recommends that pregnant women decrease their risk of COVID complications if they have taken the jab. It is also reported that the unborn baby receives passive immunity when the mother is vaccinated.

When can pregnant women and breastfeeding women get the vaccine?

So far, India has approved three vaccines — COVAXIN,COVISHIELD and SPUTNIK V. COVAXIN and COVISHIELD are widely available while SPUTNIK V has been rolled out in select cities across the country. Now, breastfeeding women can receive the vaccine. With an impending threat of a third wave ,a news update as recent as 20th June 2021 says the Health ministry of India is likely to recommend the vaccine for pregnant women soon.

Lactating mothers can now receive the vaccine at government and government approved facilities. Pediatricians and gynecologists across the country say that by vaccinating lactating mothers, the baby receives antibodies through breast milk and provides a layer of immunity to the infant. Couples Planning IVF during Covid-19 Pandemic should also discuss the Covid-19Vaccination with their doctors.

Take Away

It can be said that the research and experts lean towards favouring the vaccine being given to Pregnant and Lactating females. So when your chance to get vaccinated against Covid-19 comes, discuss with your doctor about the best approach and don’t let your fears and bias guide you. If your doctor suggests you take the vaccine, do your bit to help the fight against the Pandemic by saying yes to the Covid Vaccine. For more credible information, feel free to be a part of IVFJunction Support Forum and IVF Junction Knowledge Hub. If you have IVF related enquiries — IVF costs, How to prepare for IVF, Best IVF Centres in Delhi and NCR, etc reach out to us for the right information and support. In the era of rampant misinformation online, let us help you connect with credible experts.

[juniperpublishers-robotics-blog]

Light-Weight Secure IoT Key Generator and Management- juniper Publishers

Abstract

Security is a critical element for IoT deployment that affects the adoption rate of IoT applications. This paper presents a Light-Weight Secure IoT Key Generator and Management Solution(LKGM) for  industry automation and applications. Our solution uses minimum computing and memory resources that can be installed on half-credit-card-size embedded systems that enhances the securityof end-to-end communications for IoT nodes. A frequently changed randomly generated passphrase isused to authenticate each IoT node that is embedded with an encrypted unique authentication key. Fieldtest results were presented for an advanced manufacturing application that will only be activated whentwo authenticated IoT nodes are within the vicinity.

Keywords: Authentication; Authority; Secure key; IoT; Security; Industry automation

Introduction

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects that have unique identifiers capable ofproducing and transmitting data across a network seamlessly. IoT system refers to a loosely coupled,decentralized system of devices augmented with sensing, processing, and network capabilities [1,2].IoT is projected to be one of the fastest growing technology segments in the next 3 to 5 years [3]. IoTapplications are being developed and deployed in an exponentially increase manner in many smart city’s initiatives around the world. Gartner Group has estimated that there will be 25 billion connectedIoT devices by 2020, and that IoT services will constitute a total spending of $263 billion.Unfortunately, this growth in connected devices brings increased security risks [4]. As indicated byFrost & Sullivan[5]; Miorandi et al., and Weber[6,7], security is the major hindrance for the wide scale adoption of IoT. Inaddition, the increasing use of multi-vendors IoT nodes which are often only have minimum securityprotection that resulted in more complex security scenarios and threats beyond the current Internet iswill arise.Constant sharing of information between “things” and users can occur without proper authentication and authorization. Currently, there are no trustworthy platforms that provide access control andpersonalized security policy based on users’ needs and contexts across different types of “things”.The “things” in any IoT network are often unattended; therefore, they are vulnerable to attacks.Moreover, most IoT communications are wireless that make eavesdropping easy [6,8]. The futurewidespread adoption of IoT will extend the information security risks far more widely than the Internethas to date [9].

In an ad-hoc IoT network where IoT nodes are localized and self-organized, network infrastructureis not required. Security of the IoT nodes that operate in such ad-hoc peer-to-peer networks areincreasingly becoming an important and critical challenge to solve as many applications in such IoTnetwork becomes commercially viable. As ad-hoc IoT network has a frequently changing networktopology, and the IoT nodes have limited processor power, memory size and battery power, acentralized security authentication server/node becomes impractical to be implemented.

Methods

In our applied research work, “KeyThings” was developed as part of the project title “Collaborative Cross-Layer Secure IoT Gateways” funded by the Singapore NRF-TRD. Our solution consisted of two main systems, namely the Security Key Generation System (SKG) and Security Key Management System (SKM). The objective of our project is to allow an IoT application (e.g. a web service, etc.) to be activated only when a pre-determined number of authenticated IoT nodes are within the vicinity. This enhances the security of the IoT application by authenticating the hardware (i.e. IoT nodes) instead of just authenticating based on the usual usernames and passwords. The authentication process is done in the system’s background without the need for human intervention which is critical in some operation environment (e.g. manufacturing, production, remote sites, etc.) where not all staff are given access to the sensors’ readings due to security issues. The staff are categorized into “non-authorized”, “operator” and “supervisor”.

Below are the features of our Solution

a. “Non-authorized” personnel who are not issued with the authenticated IoT node will not have 60 access to the sensors’ readings.

b. Only authorized “operator” who has an authenticated IoT node is able to view the sensors’ 62 readings only when the “operator” is in the vicinity.

c. The authorized “supervisor” with an authenticated IoT node that is with higher access rights, 64 can view the sensors’ readings and the summary report. If the “supervisor” leaves the vicinity, 65 the summary report will no longer be available.

d. All authentications are done in the solution’s background without the need for human 67 intervention.

Solution Setup

Equipment (Figure 1)

A. The setup consists of the following equipment

a. Authentication Server

b. Client device 1

c. Client device 2

d. Application Server

e. Tablet

Authentication server (KeyThings-Server): The authentication server is the “brain” of the security key management. It has the following 92 responsibilities:

A. Access point: Serves as the access point to the entire system.

B. Generate random passphrase periodically

i. If there is no authenticated device, the passphrase will remain the same.

ii. If there is one or more authenticated device, a new random passphrase will be generated at 98the end of each time interval (after every 5 MQTT broadcasts).

C. MQTT Server: It will broadcast the generated passphrase via MQTT to all subscribedKeyThings-Clients.

i. Once every 2 seconds.

ii. MQTT topic: authentication/challenge

D. Web Server via REST API.

E. For KeyThings

i. -clients to submit their encrypted passphrase.

ii. For application server to query the number of authenticated devices.

F. Authentication: The server stores the encrypted credentials and MD5 of the KeyThings-Clients that were generated from the Security Key Generation System.

Client devices (KeyThings-Client): Each client device contains the unique security key that is used for authentication to gain access to 113 different web services. The key must be generated from the Security Key Generation System. Thedevice has the following responsibilities:

A) MQTT client. Registers and listens to the broadcasted passphrase.

B) Encryption. Encrypts the passphrase that was received via MQTT.

a. If the received passphrase is the same as previous passphrase, the device will just ignorethepassphrase and does nothing.

b. If the received passphrase is different from the previous passphrase, then the passphrase will be encrypted.

c. HTTP Request / Response. Send the encrypted passphrase to the authentication server(KeyThings- Server) once the encryption has been completed.

Application server: The application server hosts the production webpage (i.e. the machine readings and summary report). It is currently running on Raspberry Pi, but it can be hosted on any environment (i.e., Windows or Linux) that has network connectivity to the Access Point. The application server has the following responsibilities:

a) HTTP Request / Response: Host the webpage that can be access via the tablet.

Tablet: The tablet is used to view the web page that contains the manufacturing data (machine readings andsummary report) from the application server.

Result

Below is what you will see when different numbers of devices have been authenticated Figure 2.

Discussion

The test was conducted successfully with results indicated that a light-weight security key generation and authentication method can be easily implemented in a distributed manner for a self-organizingnetwork to enhance IoT nodes and service level security in an industry automation environment. The method and the solution can be applied to provide features such as multi-level security for different stake holders in an advanced manufacturing environment, multi-factor security keys, user definable security- based services and policy, etc. The solutions can easily be scaled and adapted to suite various industry needs and expectation in enhancing the security of IoT nodes, sensors, PLC controllers, robots, etc. to meet their business needs.

Conclusion

In this paper, a Light-Weight Secure IoT Key Generator and Management Solution (LKGM) for industry automation and applications for enhancing the security of peer-to-peer communications among IoT nodes is presented. The LKGM is integrated to half-credit-card-size embedded systems. Our experimental results showed that the solution enhances secured peer-to-peer IoT communications amongst the IoT node. Field tests were conducted successfully for a manufacturing application that uses web services.

For More Open Access Journals Please Click on: Juniper Publishers

Fore More Articles Please Visit: Robotics & Automation Engineering Journal

[albacarolinatv]

Programul religios-cultural cu prilejul vizitei Papei Francisc la Blaj

PROGRAM RELIGIOS-CULTURAL organizat pe CÂMPIA LIBERTĂŢII de la BLAJ, în ziua de Duminică, 2 iunie 2019, cu prilejul vizitei Sfântului Părinte PAPA FRANCISC: Orele : 08,00 – 08,35 Rugăciuni de dimineaţă Conduce : Pr. Zaharie Pintea 08,35 - 08,55 Pricesne tradiţionale Sava Negrean Brudaşcu – voce solo 08,55 - 09,05 Rugăciunile Orei a treia (ora 9 dimineaţa) - Psalmi de laudă Conduce : Pr. Zaharie Pintea 09,05 - 09,30 Pricesne tradiţionale Veta Biriş – voce solo 09,30 – 09,50 Memorial: Iuliu Hossu George Custură, actor la Teatrul „Sică Alexandrescu” Braşov 09,50 – 10,15 Cântece religioase Paula Selling, voce cu acompaniament pe negativ Vezi şi SIMULARE EVENIMENT. Vizita Papei PROGRAM ÎN DETALIU Orele: 08,00 – 08,35 Rugăciuni de dimineaţă Rugăciunea Rozarului - Misterele de mărire Conduce: Pr. Zaharie Pintea 08,35 - 08,55 Pricesne tradiţionale Interpretează: Sava Negrean Brudaşcu (voce solo) Cu crucea în spate Isuse, veşnic călător Isuse, Isuse, primeşte-mă la Tine Măicuţa sfântă 08,55 - 09,05 Rugăciunile Orei a treia (ora 9 dimineaţa) Psalmul 50 Psalmi de laudă (148, 149, 150) (material orientativ, în funcţie de orar) Conduce : Pr. Zaharie Pintea 09,05 - 09,30 Pricesne tradiţionale Interpretează: Veta Biriş (voce solo) Isuse al meu, prieten bun Unde să mă duc eu, Doamne ? Am venit la Tine, Doamne Mamă dulce, mama mea Veniţi la mine, veniţi 09,30 – 09,50 Memorial: Iuliu Hossu Recital dramatic, în trei secvenţe: George Custură, actor la Teatrul „Sică Alexandrescu” Braşov Notă : Textul recitalului este redactat separat. 09,50 – 10,15 Cântece religioase Paula Selling (voce solo, cu acompaniament pe negativ) Ridica-voi ochii mei x x x Blândul păstor (Versuri : Traian Dorz) La umbra Crucii Tale (Versuri : Traian Dorz Muzica : Aurel Bolboş) Rugăciune (Versuri : Mihai Eminescu Prelucrare: Vasile Spătărelu) Un cântec de slavă (Versuri: Traian Dorz, Muzica : Paula Seling) (10,15 - Instalarea Coralei CATOLICA, pentru Sfânta Liturghie) La sosirea elicopterului şi pe timpul salutului credincioşilor, din papamobil: 1. Corala CATOLICA şi Paula Seling, solo: Mai lângă tronul Tău 2. Corala CATOLICA: Cântec pentru Episcopii Martiri (Versiunea Tutti) 3. Corala CATOLICA şi Mihaela Buhaiciuc , solo Creştin sunt din leagăn. Înainte de Sfânta Liturghie: Doxologia cea Mare Pe stăpânul Sfânta Liturghie La Cuminecare: 1. Corala CATOLICA, solo – Mihaela Buhaiciuc: Cât de mărit - Francisc Hubic 2. Corala CATOLICA, solo – Mihaela Buhaiciuc: Cântec pentru Episcopii Martiri - Anamaria Opreanu Aranjament pentru cor mixt şi solo sopran, Mihail Gavril Gorbonov (Versiunea cor mixt + solo sopran) 3. Corala CATOLICA, solo - Veta Biriş O, Măicuţă sfântă x x x 4. Corala CATOLICA Tu eşti Petru - Marius Cuteanu După Sfânta Liturghie : Pe stăpânul Cântec pentru Episcopii Martiri (Armonizare pentru cor mixt : Mihail Gavril Gorbonov) În astă zi frumoasă. 14. 05. 2019 Mihail Gavril Gorbonov, dirijorul Coralei CATOLICA, de la Biserica Greco-Catolică „Sf. Petru” din Braşov Vezi şi BLAJUL, FĂRĂ LOCURI DE CAZARE Pelerinii care vor veni la Blaj în data de 2 iunie 2019 cu autocare, microbuze și autoturisme personale, sunt rugați să ajungă la Blaj până la ora 7. Această solicitare vine în urma măsurilor anunțate în 22 mai 2019 de Primăria Blaj, cu privire la accesul pelerinilor în municipiul Blaj în data de 2 iunie 2019, precum și la cererea forțelor de ordine care au în vedere fluidizarea accesului pelerinilor pe Câmpia Libertății. Pentru mai multe detalii referitoare la accesul, parcările și restricțiile de circulație în Municipiul Blaj în data de 2 iunie 2019, vă invităm să consultați pagina oficială a evenimentului: https://papafrancisclablaj.ro/stiri-si-comunicate/ Read the full article

[fallenqueen2]

Mind Controlled Tony Stark

The 'what if' idea came to me yesterday. What if when Loki tried to mind control Tony in Avengers, his Arc Reactor stopped it, but the magic was still inside Tony so when he got it removed in IM3 the magic was still there? What if it came back to life when Tony found the spear in AoU?

“Tony, are you alright? You’ve been holding the spear for a while now…” Bruce asked the other man as he looked up from his own data to see Tony was staring intently at Loki’s spear with a blank look on his face.

“Tony, are you okay?” Bruce took his glasses off as he took a step towards Tony. The genius turned his head to look at Bruce who froze at seeing the unnatural blue that took over his eyes.

“Oh shit.” Bruce swore before he tossed himself to the side when he saw Tony raising the spear and the blue gem glowing brighter and brighter. An explosion of glass shattering echoed around the room making Bruce cover his head with his arms, forcing himself to calm down not wanting to let the other guy out.

He looked up and saw the others gathered at the foot of where their lab overlooked, they had confused faces on at the sight of Tony standing there looking down at them with Loki’s spear in his grasp.

Bruce scurried to his feet as Tony launched himself towards Thor, swinging the spear to blast the Norse God in the chest. Thor grunted as he was sent flying backwards.

“Stark what the hell?” Steve demanded as he ducked out of the way of a swing of the spear as Tony focused on him next.

“It’s the spear, it’s controlling him!” Bruce cried out as he clung to the frame that used to keep the glass intact.

“Nat, get ready to hit his head!” Clint swore colorfully as he noticed the shocking familiar blue in Tony’s eyes.

“How the hell did it manage to control him? I thought Loki had to be here for that?” Natasha ducked behind the bar to avoid a blast from the spear Tony was still wielding.

“Questions later!” Steve ordered as he grabbed a serving tray and rushed towards Tony to distract him of Natasha who was sneaking up behind him while Clint pelted him with whatever he could get his hands on. Thor was back on his feet with an odd look on his face as he took in the sight of Tony who moved gracefully and silently around the attacks of the other Avengers.

“JARVIS, did Tony set anything up for a situation like this?” Bruce asked the AI knowing Tony was always prepared for anything.

“Yes Doctor Banner, I will not initiate it however as it would end in Sir’s death.” JARVIS responded and Bruce scowled under his breath, he hated the way Tony obviously loathed himself.

“However the device to your right may serve your needs Doctor Banner.” JARVIS piped up making Bruce look to see some sort of stun gun sitting by broken glass. Bruce snatched it up and flipped the obvious switch. He balanced himself, swallowed hard as he took aim at his best friend and squeezed the trigger.

He blinked when a bright blue and familiar light hit Tony square in the back, sending the genius sprawling and the spear falling from his grip as he fell unconscious.

“Is that an Icer?” Clint asked curiously when Bruce joined them with the gun still in hand.

“Prototype it seems, but does the job obviously.” Bruce commented as he looked at Thor who had Tony cradled in his arms with an intense look on his face.

“Friend Tony must have come in contact with Loki before we won the battle in New York, that is the only way he could have been infected like this.” Thor said as his eyebrows furrowed together.

“JARVIS, did Loki and Tony ever come in contact with each other?” Bruce asked as he gestured Thor it rest Tony down on the part of the couch that had survived the fight.

“He did Doctor Banner, shall I queue up the video?” JARVIS asked as Clint swore under his breath and Steve tightened his fists as he looked at Tony with concern.

“Please do JARVIS.” Bruce nodded as he pushed the other guy back feeling him simmering with anger just below the surface.

Camera footage was projected on the wall across from the group taking their attention away from the unconscious form of Tony on the couch.

“Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity.” Loki asked Tony amused as the two walked into the communal level of the old tower.

“Actually I’m planning on threatening you.” Tony said his voice echoing across the room as he walked down the ramp towards the bar.

“You should have left your armor on for that.” Loki gestured to the pad where Tony’s armor was disappearing into the pad with his spear.

“Yeah, it’s seen a bit of mileage and you’ve got the glow stick of destiny.” Tony pointed to the spear making Loki look down at it briefly as Tony moved behind the bar that hid his lower torso.

“Would you like a drink?” Tony asked curiously.

“Heh, stalling me won’t change anything.” Loki grinned.

“No, no threatening. No drink you sure? I’m having one.” Tony moved to make himself a drink, turning his back to the God while Loki stalked over to the windows to look out at the city.

“The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What I have to fear?” Loki reminded Tony as he spun around to look at the other man.

“The Avengers…It’s what we call ourselves, sort of a like team. Earth’s mightiest hero’s type thing.” Tony said as he poured his drink, elaborating after the look Loki gave him.

“Yes I’ve met them.” Loki looked smug.

“Yeah.” Tony scoffed. “It takes us a while to get any traction I’ll give you that. Let’s do a head count here: your bother, the demigod.”

Loki made an annoyed sound as he turned to look back out the windows giving Tony a chance to slip metal bracelets around his wrists. “The super solider, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger management isuses.”

Loki gave Tony a half smile at that one as Tony picked up his tumbler again. “A couple of master assassins and you big fella, have managed to piss of every single one of them.”

“That was the plan.”

“Not a great plan.” Tony swallowed his drink as he moved out from behind the bar. “When they come… And they will, they’ll come for you.”

“I have an army.” Loki reminded Tony.

“We have a Hulk.” Tony reminded right back.

“Oh I thought the beast had wondered off.” Loki asked curiously.

“You’re missing the point, there is no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but that’s all on you. If we can’t protect the Earth you can be damn well sure we’ll avenge it.” Tony ended his speech by taking a drink from his glass, his eyes cold as he looked at Loki.

“How will your friends have time for me… When they are so busy fighting you?” Loki stepped into Tony’s personal space as the spear whirred to life, Tony’s face flashed with fear as the tip of the spear tapped against his chest, a sharp ringing emitted from the point of contact.

They both stared at the spear in shock, Loki tried again but the reaction was the same.

“This usually works.” He said confused.

“Well performance issues, it’s not uncommon, one out of five.” Tony snarked making a face while Loki’s annoyance grew.

Loki violently grabbed the other man around the neck while Tony’s hands flew up to the God’s wrist out of reflex as he made a gagging noise cut off Tony’s words.

“JARVIS, anytime now.” Tony asked after Loki tossed him to the other side of the room before he pushed himself back up onto his feet. Just in time for Loki to choke him again, lifting him off his feet.

“You will all fall before me.” Loki told Tony their faces incredibly close.

“Deploy! Deploy!” Tony choked out as Loki threw him through the window and out into a free fall from the top of his own tower.

JARVIS cut the feed after that and everyone turned to look at Tony who was still unconscious.

“He took on Loki like that and got tossed out a window.” Steve said numbly while Clint ran his hands over his face, unnerved at seeing the footage of how close Tony had come to death repeatedly.  

“His Arc Reactor must have stopped Loki’s magic somehow, maybe the two elements cancelled each other out… But when he got his reactor removed that shield was gone so any remaining magic must have been laying dormant inside of his system until it was awoken by Tony coming into contact with the spear.” Bruce theorized as he knelt next to Tony, taking his pulse from his wrist while using the contact to keep himself and the other guy calm.

“In a strange way that makes sense… Do you think he is going to remember anything when he wakes up?” Natasha asked giving Clint a worried look as they both had been there when Clint was throwing off Loki’s control.

“I’m not sure, this isn’t like when Loki…” Clint pushed back the memory of his own mind control that had all come rushing back when he saw those unnatural blue eyes Tony had been sporting.

“Did I get hit by a truck or something?” Tony groaned as his normal colored eyes fluttered open, hand rubbing at them a moment later as he let out a pained noise.

“Tony, are you alright?” Bruce asked cautiously, but relief was sweeping over him at the sight of Tony’s normal colored eyes.

“I must have blacked for there for a moment or two, sorry if I scared you Brucie Bear.” Tony patted Bruce’s arm looking genuinely worried for the other Scientist. Bruce wanted to laugh and cry at the same time because this was such a Tony thing to do, take the attention off of himself and his pain and to make sure someone else was all right.

“So you don’t remember anything?” Steve clarified.

“Got it in one Cap, but uh what happened to the room? Was there a fight or something?” Tony took in the blast marks and broken glass.

“Or something.” Clint slumped with relief knowing that this incident wasn’t going to add anything else to Tony’s PTSD’s.

“Just rest Friend Tony.” Thor placed his hand on Tony’s forehead in relief while Natasha silently relaxed and sent Loki’s spear a glare, that thing had caused her and people close to her a lot of problems.

“Mkay…” Tony yawned as his eyes fluttered shut and his head lolled to the side.

“This is the on medical magic my mother managed to teach me…” Thor explained in a quiet voice when Steve quirked an eyebrow never having seen Tony fall asleep so quickly.

[spidersanctuary]

A disordered venting about RP problems:

My experience RPing with Tumblr RPing is not very extensive - goes back about five years, I think. Before that, I RPd a bit, much earlier, but for the most part the only RPing I've done is on Tumblr (and Skype, but as an extension of Tumblr RPing).

I don't like bouncing around. I tend to stick with a place that looks legit, get attached to the characters (mine and others') and stick it out, even sometimes unreasonably so. I've been in... basically three group RPs. Two of them were larger (let's say, defined as "more than around ten active players at any given time", and the third was smaller and purely reactionary, a-la "we don't like the way things are here so we'll make our own". Though not without problems (and I can't say I didn't have my part in them), it was the most drama-free as a whole. It also looks like the fourth, soon to come, might follow along the same pattern.

Despite my sample size of one, I'm confident in saying small groups have a different dynamic. Especially if they're founded by people who already know each other. Bigger groups are trickier, in many ways, and I was struck by the realisation that the different problems I encountered in both my bigger groups were representative of two ends of a spectrum.  Similar things going wrong in opposite ways, so to speak.

One of them was defined by lack of forethought and planning. Indeed the whole RP just kind of happened organically, something more serious growing out of something very silly and casual. While it had its fun sides - and it was wildly fun, at times, for as long as the fun lasted - it's also obvious in retrospect how that could be a huge problem. Different players. No standardised rules or guidelines until way, waaay later in the game (after much drama had already happened). Lots of different people with different RPing backgrounds and personalities and playstyles, none of them fully on the same page. While many of the problems had to do with one or two difficult personalities in the group, that's not really the isuse. There is always a risk of... unpleasant people, no RP group is safe from them and no RP guidelines will truly protect you from someone who WANTS to start shit or manipulate things to their benefit and is cunning enough to do that. But even aside from that... the lack of regulation about who could grab what characters and how many (some players ending up with 20+ blogs), or any kind of spoken agreement about activity guidelines and replying etiquette. Lack of agreement about how "canon" certain plots were, in the RPing continuity. Lack of agreement about the continuity, period. A clash between people who wanted to develop a certain pre-planned (and rather exclusive) storyline and those who were more in it for spontaneity. It was a recipe for disaster. It didn't need to get as bad as it did, but starting off like that, it was bound to get unpleasant eventually anyway.

Now, the other group... oh, the other group. After the colourful experience of the first group, the things it offered seemed like a reassuring breath of fresh air. Planning! An almost DnD-esque level of detail to the established universe, rulebook, bestiary and lore! Basically an entire little sandbox lovingly crafted for you to play in. Transparent activity guidelines and rules! An actual mod team working to be approachable while still holding authority! New plots for everyone to participate in to be released basically by the clock, so nobody would feel left out! So lovely! Unfortunately, things are rarely as sunny as they appear. A certain type of literate, application RPs is infamous for their snobbishness and elitism, and despite the initially welcoming tone, that was exactly what this unravelled to be. On the flip side, many of the appeals of the group amounted to little more than elaborate publicity acts. Always, always must the group remain attractive and desirable to newcomers (perhaps unsurprisingly given the apparently abysmal player retention rates, both short and long-term). The tone turned out very different from what was advertised, the sandbox-like universe revealing itself to be more of a literal sandbox, with complex topics turned into gimmicks, and supernatural characters (prosecuted and feared for their in-humanity) easily and casually sharing information about their powers with near-strangers like kids on a playground comparing their toys. The "plots" thrown one's way are not only usually poorly (if at all) developed but intrusive, so that they are impossible to avoid completely even if one is not interested in them. Worse yet, the RP insists on doling out serious consequences and high-stakes crises like death, destruction, invasions of murderous monsters or malignant town-wide spells, but is curiously reluctant to allow any room for serious RPing or sense of consequences.

In fact, it's impossible to talk about consequences when even a sense of any basic continuity is thrown out the window, precluded by the occasional hiatus and re-launch and the various measures taken to make sure that new players enter onto a relatively blank slate. Yes, even if long-time residents of the area and the populace in general SHOULD remember and be affected by that politically motivated massacre half a year back, or that time monstrous vegetables SLAUGHTERED half a school of elementary schoolchildren. Thus, even though the RP is long-running (turning two years old soon), it is impossible for the setting to develop any sense of history, and instead it seems to turn more and more comically nonsensical the more tragedies befall the town and are promptly forgotten a few weeks later. Rather than a serious and in-depth setting, one begins to feel instead as if all the characters are living in a Lotus Eater-like state of vague oblivion, briefly reacting to various events but never quite letting them reach collective memory.

Now, all this might be bearable (and even fun! There's an appeal in a certain kind of wacky no-strings-attached horror-comedy-gore, no denying that), IF a couple things weren't true. a) If the RP (and specifically the mod team) didn't make such a huge deal about what a serious and respectable and serious RP it is. No OCs allowed. "We allow shipping but we don't put an emphasis on it! Please don't think this is one of those silly ship-obsessed RPs". No more than two characters allowed. Replies MUST happen every x days, and even though replies of various kinds are accepted (all prose, just different formats and individual reply lengths), only CERTAIN kinds count towards the activity requirement (???!), and a long-term failure to keep it up will end up in you getting the boot. Even if you ARE active and involved with other people and interact a lot. (Don't even get me started on that. I and about three or four other people, most of whom LEFT shortly after, ended up having our plots disrupted SIGNIFICANTLY because the mods booted - or in this case harangued into throwing in the towel and leaving in a huff - a player who was active with all of us, but wasn't active enough in "the RIGHT way" i.e. the right format. This was part of a bigger package of them caring more about keeping up certain pretenses and ticking off certain boxes to be more outwardly desirable to new applicants than the fun of the users who were already there.) b) The nit-picking. Oh god the nitpicking and micromanagement. Some of the shit I've personally seen, some of it I've heard about. It's one thing to crit a player for not being IC with a mod pre-made character. It's another thing to do that after they've been in play for A YEAR, and if you do that then, you're being blatantly disrespectful of all the development the player's put into them. And it's yet another thing to do that to someone's OC (before the 'no OCs' rule was instated). I've had mods dictate to me that my character shouldn't be reacting to x event like this or that, by listing a bunch of factors that, while possibly convincing, were only ONE possible way to interpret the big picture. For real. Psychology is complicated but for some reason all that goes out the window the moment the mod team decides they know how your character should be played (and I'm not talking about blatant realism or accuracy issues like "that's not how PTSD works" but actual decisions/ways of thinking, things that there should, in theory, be no "wrong" option with because once again, people are complicated).

Which brings me to: C) The omnipresent feeling of entitlement by the mod team aka the Powers That Be, as if they believe that theirs is such a supremely privileged, special and elite group, that they merely DEIGN to let you be a part of it. All of it manifesting in a complete lack of basic courtesy when approaching players. Or rather, any player who's been there longer than a month and who they're not actively trying to be Welcoming(TM) to. I should have seen it pretty early when I had a beef with another player who, to wit, disliked that an RP scene we had depicted her character as a "bad guy" (who was previously ESTABLISHED in canon as a psychopathic murderer!!! and the RP scene basically showed him doing more of the same!!!). She ended up badmouthing me to other players she was interacting with closely, and then they as a group complained about me to the mods, in which she twisted a certain conversation we'd had over Skype into something that reflected very badly on me, along the lines of me forcing her to RP a scene she would be triggered by. Now. This was resolved when I provided the mods with copied Skype messages (direct Skype quotes, a format that, in theory, can't be doctored) that showed she was fabricating that conversation - that she had outright told me she WOULD be okay with doing that scene. She eventually got booted for that (and other stuff). And all would have been well if it weren't for the way I had been initially addressed by the mods, and the condescending, denigrating, making you feel like shit TONE of it. Going from zero, utter peace, to "you have an attitude problem and you need to stop now or we'll kick you out". They also tacked on about half a dozen minor "offenses" I had done, like rambling too much about how the reasons I liked a school subject someone else disliked in the ooc chat, or trying TOO hard to get involved in plots, or other bullshit things that the people involved hadn't even complained to them about. I later realised that this, too, was a Pattern. Whenever they went to you with any sort of grievance, whether from their own side or from another player, they would tack on about half a dozen other "transgressions" you had made, sometimes making them up entirely out of thin air. (Other examples include: Me trying to "enforce a headcanon" by having my character react x way. I then pointed out that the "headcanon" I was allegedly """"enforcing"""" was the information stated on THEIR blog about how characters are large are reacting to a previous major town-wide event. (To wit: the information stated that the Event, a violent and deadly clash between two groups of people, exacerbated tensions between them and led to more mistrust between them. My character, who belongs to ONE group, was being mistrustful of the OTHER group. And somehow, this was not okay. Yes. That's it. That is literally how asinine it got. But then again, it's not surprising - as I explain later, it wasn't baout the offenses making sense. It was about getting to make me feel shitty for something) Or: I was being "inconsiderate" by having my character "out" the supernatural status of another character whose player was no longer in the group, and who they were not in contact with. Said player and I HAD in fact discussed this at the time, and they'd WANTED to have it happen, but the mods didn't know one way OR the other. They simply ASSUMED so they could try to pin it on me!) A long line of instances of them taking "offenses" that they didn't know for sure were offenses, that the player DIRECTLY affected HAD NOT come to them about, to paint a bigger picture of you being some kind of Problem Child who was daring to be naughty in THEIR classroom.

Now, I don't know if this was deliberate, but I can see why they did it. It makes you, as the player, feel like crap, puts you on the defensive, makes you question yourself. "Holy crap, were people really bothered by that time I went on a jokingly-serious rant about how awesome botany is when someone said they hated that topic in biology class?" (Hint: No they weren't. They thought NOTHING of it. But the mods saw it and filed it away for when they needed to make you feel like crap.) It puts the mods in a position of power and strengthened their authority. It forces you into a no-win scenario where you either deny the nonsensical accusations, and thus weaken your position and look less credible because it looks like you can't accept responsibility when you're wrong, OR accept the accusations and thereby agree with them that you're the naughty child and bad at following the rules. So it's a shitty, shitty manipulation technique. All of it coming from a place of entitlement and elitism.

I wish I could say I come from all this wiser, but it does feel like entitlement and elitism are the common denominator here. Part of the problem of the first RP was certain people needing to feel like they were superior and hating it when other people got in the way of that. Part of the problem of the second was stuck-up, self-important mods. Ultimately, it comes down to people who enjoy, just a little too much, to feel power and authority over people. To say that "it's THIS way, because I say it is" and have that listened to without question. Who enforce the rules not because it benefits the community, but because it makes them look good. Who view discussion, in and of itself, as disobedience, as an attack on their authority, an attack on them. I can't say I know for sure how to recognise the warning signs of a group like that BEFORE applying. But maybe big RP groups just aren't worth it, period.

[fictionkinfessions]

oh. um. not my usual lighthearted stuff but I just got hit with a memory while looking through cgs. a clear and terrifying one.

tw for sui + s//h (from my source) and sdr2 spoilers

it was. terrifying in those last moments, actually. the thing is I looked so CALM when I was. literally mutilating myself and in a way I was ! it was for hope after all, this was my last ditch effort, it was to help everyone else, they wanted me to die, and hey, I live to serve, right? what's a little pain for the greater good of humanity?

aaaand then the poison came

and just in those last couple seconds I was alive, literally just a moment, I didnt feel that calmness that I thought I'd feel, that sort of "oh well, guess it's time!" sort of attitude but. visceral and unrestrained fear. I think one of my last thoughts was how SELFISH it was of me, to be concerned about my own survival, to want to live. sure, maybe doing that might've helped everyone -- heck, my sacrifice would probably help the entirety of what remained of the world! besides, at that point in time, I wouldnt be surprised if everyone else didnt care if I died -- in fact, they probably WANTED me to! so how could me, disgusting, selfish, human me deserve the gift of life? I didnt think I did, and yet, I wanted what I didnt deserve. I just- I really just wanted to help, I always thought I was going to, but I just messed up more and more each time, and it was just so selfish of me to KEEP helping and I think I just. I honestly think I just screamed. Didnt cry for help or for someone or anything, just. raw noise. it was terrifying because I finally realized just a little too late that maybe, maybe this ISNT the way I wanna go out. Maybe I wanna die peacefully in my sleep surrounded by friends maybe I wanted to HAVE friends in the first place maybe I didnt wanna die here in another fruitless effort to try and help everyone while just making it worse. I was a truly selfish person in my core, I just pretended that I threw my core away long ago. I dont ever want to be in that position again where I realize I want something I never realized was so important to me until it's too late and oh god I am so glad I dont have to go through that again holy shit as much as I enjoy the media of my source it's so fucked up and I never want to be in it again pls ty oh god sorry this is so long my apologies please do not despise me </3

-🍀🌈☀️

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

hi my name is Eleven and i want to try and talk to my sourcemates but i am a fool whos really struggling to remember anything because my im a big ol dumb lesbian this time around so i keep misinterpreting my own feelings from memories so guess ill die (anyways i can at least say: max, if youre out there, im lov u)

[joefnolan80]

Lessons from Land Legends

To quote the legendary John D. Rockefeller: “The major fortunes in America have been made in land.” The people on this list have made their fortunes in different parts of the land industry, ranging from oil to transitional land to ranches. Let’s look into the secrets to success from America’s greatest land legends.

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller might be the biggest land legend of all time. Even though some of his business practices were considered less than ethical, you still have to admit this oil tycoon’s thinking was revolutionary for the time. Rockefeller was the king of cutting costs. He bought his own tracts of white oak timber to build with, knowing the long-term value of owning timberland would be worth the short-term cost. Rockefeller was notoriously stingy, except when it came to investing in land that he knew would bring him profit for decades.

Rockefeller also believed in waste not, want not. He found ways to make a profit on the byproducts of oil, such as using the tar for paving or selling Vaseline to candle makers. He was thrifty in a time when other refiners were dumping their gasoline and other byproducts in the river. His planning for long-term value made him one of the richest men in American history.

What can we learn?

Think long term for gaining profit. Rockefeller knew buying timberland property might not be cheap in the moment but would pay for itself over time. Thinking about the big picture can lead to big profits.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Most people only know of the original John D. Rockefeller, but his son is just as fascinating. While his money was made primarily through his father’s business, the younger Rockefeller had a passion for land. He donated land for multiple national parks, including Grand Teton, Acadia, and Yosemite. He used the shell company Snake River Land Company to buy up land for the Grand Teton National Park. When he reached a stalemate, he wrote a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt saying “it will be my thought to make some other disposition of it or to sell it in the market to any satisfactory buyers.” He eventually won the land. For his dedication to land, both the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Highway and Rockefeller Memorial were named after him.

What can we learn?

The land industry is not for the meek. Rockefeller, Jr. was not afraid of opposition and fought for what he thought was right. He may not have made money in these deals, but he cemented his reputation as a land legend, which is more valuable than any paycheck. He is also a perfect example of having the kind of passion for land that it takes to make it in the industry.

Ted Turner

You might know him as the founder of CNN, but did you know he also owns two million acres in ten states? The “Mouth of the South” uses much of the land to raise bison for his restaurant chain. His other ranches rake in a profit from hunting, fishing, and ecotourism.

What can we learn?

Turner uses his land to earn multiple sources of income. He also has a good sense of land use and a knack for finding a property’s highest and best use to ensure he isusing certain plots of land for whatever use is most profitable. How else can you make money off your land?

J. Paul Getty

When he was just ten years old, J. Paul Getty’s father, George Getty, bought the mineral rights for 1,100 acres of land. Smart move. The land was soon producing 100,000 barrels of oil a month.

When he was twenty-one, J. Paul Getty’s father gave him ten thousand dollars to expand the Getty family’s Oklahoma oil field holdings. After careful deliberation, he bought the Nancy Taylor N. 1 Oil Well. Site. He struck oil. The 40% commission he got made him a millionaire!

What can we learn?

Mineral rights are just as valuable today. Before buying land, make sure any mineral rights you could be entitled to are included in the sale. Imagine what would have happened if George Getty had bought the land without the mineral rights?

Walt Disney

The story of how was bought is crazier than Space Mountain! Disney secretly bought up 27,000 acres of land dirt cheap under shell corporations with names such as M.T. Lott. When locals found out who was buying all their land, prices shot up, in some cases to $80,000 an acre!

Even though it got expensive towards the end, the Orange County Appraisers officer estimates that the land value of all Disney World is now worth over $1.3 billion.

What can we learn?

The sky is the limit when it comes to transitional land. Figure out the highest and best use for your transitional land and profits will follow.

And One To Watch: Jeff Bezos

According to Forbes Magazine, he’s currently the richest man on earth, with a net worth of 140.8 billion USD. So far, his money has come from his business, Amazon, but many land experts are curious about what he’ll do when it comes to the second headquarters for Amazon. He might pull a Disney and transition low-value land into some of the most expensive land real estate in America. We’ll just have to wait and see!

These land legends come from different places and periods in time, but they do have a few things in common. All these men are out-of-the-box thinkers, hard workers, and take advantage of everything land has to offer to them. We hope these stories will inspire you to become the next land legend. Interested in buying or selling land real estate? Make sure to Find A Land Consultant that is qualified to handle your transaction.

About the Author: Laura Barker is the Membership and Communications Specialist for the REALTORS® Land Institute. She graduated from Clark University in May 2017 and has been with RLI since October 2017.

The post Lessons from Land Legends appeared first on REALTORS® Land Institute.

from News About Real Estate https://www.rliland.com/lessons-from-land-legends

[fictionkinfessions]

I keep getting this one memory of my two fiancès proposing and giving me two rings(one for each of them) and then remembering when Schlatt threw away my wedding ring when I proposed and I put both his and mine on in the absolute fear of him discarding me for good. I don't know if I explained it well but I'm so frustratd one of the happiest days of my life still reminded me of HIM. I just feel so dirty and stupid knowing how much I loved him. Watching the latest stream knowing how abusive he actually was (at least in my canon) and seeing me fall for his tricks again is almost painful. Help :']

-Quackity

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

Hey kin gods why does a funny joke crackship sounds totally canon, Like i'm getting memories??? We weren't even from the same universe i???? -sincerely cartoon!Beetlejuice who might've dated Kars from jjba (I am totally embarrassed typing this out, F in chat-)

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

I may not remember entirely why there was friction between me and a few others, but I remember the straw that broke the camel's back. Yup. There was something weird going on that required me to be there and some X-Factor stuff. And then Deadpool was there and I referred to him as "LL Pool J" and then I got whacked upside the head for doing that. And then it was "we can't take Bobby anywhere". - Bobby Drake (whose jokes apparently ruin everything)

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

Every time they mention All Might dying in the series, even if its a passing comment like "Oh All Might is going to die one day." It always hits me hard because I remember his death. -Aizawa

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

"why do you have so many obscure headcanons for this one character?" me, closing my memories file: oh, no reason!! (#🌿)